


Hellish

by sugarcinnamon, windastur (kaymono)



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Angels & Demons, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Choking, Comedy, Drinking, Enemies to Lovers, Fantasy Violence, M/M, Public Sex, Sexual Tension, Voyeurism
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-03
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-15 19:49:34
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 36,109
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29813523
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sugarcinnamon/pseuds/sugarcinnamon, https://archiveofourown.org/users/kaymono/pseuds/windastur
Summary: Reiner is a Demon just trying to pay his bills on time, and it’s starting to feel more and more like his coworkers are the ones from hell.
Relationships: Minor or Background Relationship(s), Porco Galliard/Eren Yeager, Reiner Braun/Eren Yeager, Reiner Braun/Porco Galliard, Reiner Braun/Porco Galliard/Eren Yeager
Comments: 81
Kudos: 169





	1. angel enters

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is mine and @windastur’s lil creation!!! 
> 
> think of the setting as like…parks and rec meets good omens…? sort of?? also just a heads up there’s a little bit of violence in this chapter, but nothing graphic. enjoy!

Reiner’s steps are heavy as he approaches the administration building. His head hangs low with shame, too humiliated to look any of his colleagues in the eyes. He knows they’re staring, whispers floating in and out of the hallway. He clutches his notepad tight to his chest, as if it would shield him from all the gossip.

It’s no secret Reiner has screwed up—and not just a regular, run-of-the-mill, “don’t worry about it, do better next time” screw up. No, Reiner would say he has truly fucked up everything there is to fuck up. 

This all started around a year ago, with the promise of a promotion if he was successful. Reiner had taken on a task higher than his pay grade and was assigned guardianship of a handful of new Angel recruits. His job would be to guide them through their new role, doing low-level, clean up jobs as an introduction to the Angel Corps. And for the most part, it wasn't going too badly. There were a few hiccups here and there in the beginning, but they were almost done with their induction year, and Reiner felt satisfied with the progress they had made together. That was, until _ The Incident.  _

It was supposed to be a simple task; go in, take down the target, complete the paperwork, done. Only something went very wrong, which left his Angels veering off their planned route toward their destination, only to provoke a monster known to be terrorising a local settlement. Reiner doesn’t know much about what happened, relying on information from his other colleagues to fill in some of the gaps. Apparently, an unknown insider from within the Corps had been rallying these new recruits to be better, to  _ do better _ —reject the simple jobs assigned to them and defy their Demon counterparts to “prove their worth.”

Of course this didn’t go to plan, and their mutiny led to a level of destruction that was almost obscene. Reiner doesn’t like showing his true Demon form to civilians, but without help, he was forced to step up and do the dirty work. He and the Angels managed to escape with their lives, but the cost was a handful of injured recruits, a few dead by-standers, and an entire village burnt to the ground. Not good, to say the least. An entire year's work towards his promotion was reversed in a matter of minutes.

Reiner’s demotion had been swift—and unfortunately, the rumors were, too. For weeks, he’s been the hot topic of the office chatter. His coworkers keep buzzing on and on about how shocking it is that “Reiner, prim, perfect, boot-licking, never miss a date Reiner, of all people, has been  _ demoted.”  _ From untouchable golden boy to proverbial punching bag on the block; the humiliation of it all was almost too much to bear. 

Reiner had briefly floated the idea of turning in his letter of resignation, but that ship was sunk quickly. His job paid more than enough to maintain his rent, and even if his pay was about to be docked with his demotion, he had no idea how long it would take to get picked up by something else. 

So that’s why he’s here, at his boss’s office doorstep, fighting off the tears threatening to bead up in the corners of his eyes. 

Reiner inhales deep, bones creaking as he forces himself to stand upright. He knocks on the door weakly, biting at his lip nervously and swallowing as he waits for an answer. Worst comes to worst, he’ll end up back at the office, pushing papers like Bertholdt. Reiner’s no fan of cubicle work, it strains his eyes, and the desks are always so low he has to hunch over to do anything. But it’s a stable job, and Reiner isn’t keen on biting the hand that feeds.

“Come in,” Zeke’s voice booms through the door. 

Reiner’s heart leaps into his throat as he pushes the door open, stepping into Zeke’s dimly lit office. As the door clicks shut behind him, the white noise of chatter and fingers tapping against keyboards fades away. It’s almost deathly silent as Reiner takes a seat in front of Zeke’s desk, dropping his clipboard onto his lap.

Zeke shoots him a warm smile, the kind that would normally set someone at ease, but Reiner’s known the Demon long enough to get what it means.

“I’ll cut to the chase,” Zeke sighs, clipped. “You’re demoted, you already know that. Your special Demon privileges have been revoked and we’re reducing your pay.”

Reiner nods meekly. Yes, he’s known this ever since he received that awful email a week back, but it still stings to hear it aloud, to see Zeke’s tired eyes and brows knit together with disappointment as he lays it on him. 

“Reiner, you know I—and everyone else here—really appreciate everything you do for the Division. You do outstanding work here and everyone loves your company,” Zeke hums, but it doesn’t really sound like his heart’s in it, and Reiner holds back a grimace. “Off the record, I have to let you know how surprising all this—” he waves a hand in Reiner’s direction, “—is.”

“I know, Sir,” Reiner mumbles, then clears his throat. He knows how much Zeke hates it when people fumble with their words. “I’m really sorry, I am.”

Zeke leans back in his chair, mouth crooking up in a half-grin at his apology. “I know, I know you are,” he says, dropping the formal tone. “That’s why I worked my ass off to keep the higher-ups from kicking you to the curb.”

Reiner shifts in his seat, gripping his clipboard tight. Shuffling with the papers on his desk, Zeke leans forward. “So, as your very last shot at making up for your little ‘accident,’ you’re being reassigned to a remedial case, with a new Angel partner.” He slides a folder towards Reiner. Taking the file in his hands, he’s almost beaming down at it, awash with relief. A remedial case is exactly the kind of work he needs: something simple, straightforward. It doesn’t pay much but it’s still enough, and Reiner will gladly accept it all. Reiner opens his mouth to give his thanks, when Zeke coughs. “With, um, Eren Jaeger.”

Reiner’s blood turns to ice. 

Eren Jaeger, menace to all Demons. He’s notorious for breaking every rule in the book and leaving his partners wishing they’d never even considered working with Angels in the first place. His commitment to work is non-existent, and time and time again he makes a mess of everything he touches. Not a month goes by without there being an Eren-related incident that needs cleaning up on the Demon Division’s part. Reiner’s heard all about how Eren can cleave whole mountainsides, drain gushing rivers dry, or sap the life force of monsters with a single glance. Restoration and rescue efforts in the wake of his destruction are said to be absolutely nightmarish. The mere whisper of his name has the entire office groaning and crossing their fingers they won’t be roped into anything remotely involved with the Angel. 

In the span of two years, Eren’s had nine different partners, and all of them had withdrawn from the arrangement each and every time. Just recently, his last partner, Marco, had given up on him. Most agreed Marco had the best chance of everyone on helping Eren turn over a new leaf. He was warm, likable, gentle and friendly, perhaps the most personable of them all, and his dedication and work ethic were almost unmatched. So when it turned out that even Marco, the very paradigm of good Samaritan, had failed to make so much as an inch of progress with Eren, everyone assumed that was the final nail in the coffin to kick Eren out of the Angel Corps for good.

And to think, back then Reiner had thanked Helos he would never have to deal with someone like Eren.

“I think there’s been some sort of mistake,” Reiner laughs nervously. “Surely a remedial case wouldn’t involve...” he pauses, struggling to find the least disrespectful way to say  _ You’re crazy for thinking I’d ever accept this. _ “...someone with such an outstanding record.”

Zeke’s face falls, though, and by some miracle he seems more worried than offended. “Look, I know how everyone feels about Eren.” He runs a hand through his hair, pursing his lips. His expression is tight with exasperation. “But he’s at the end of his rope right now, just like you, and...he’s a good kid, I promise.” 

He’s giving Reiner a half smile, but it hardly seems like he even believes the words coming out of his mouth. If he squints, Reiner can almost make out a glint of desperation in his eyes, like he’s begging Reiner to believe him. Eren is, after all, Zeke’s younger brother, and Reiner would almost sympathize with him if not for the absolute insanity of the whole situation. 

Then Zeke sits up straight and folds his hands together, assuming a more serious stance. “Basically, after you, he’s got no second, third, fourth…any chances left,” he says, then his tone hardens. “And I trust you’re fully aware you’re in the same basket as of now.”

Oh, so  _ that’s _ what this is about. It’s not that Zeke cares oh-so deeply for Reiner and would be heartbroken to see him go—no, it’s just  _ convenient _ that he now has someone begging for scraps, someone who will take the garbage he’s tossing out that no one else will put up with. 

Zeke’s eyes have gone dark, the shadows across his face sharpening the wrinkle of his brows. It’s that kind of look that spells out  _ I’m not fucking around right now.  _ Great. Reiner has no way out of this, does he?

“I...I see,” Reiner nods, then tacks on a “Sir” at the end just to be safe. The atmosphere of the office is tight, so dense he can barely breathe.

At that, Zeke instantly perks up, shoulders going slack as he leans back in his chair with a hearty grin. “Great! Glad we got that cleared up. You’ll be meeting with him this afternoon. Everything you need to know about him is in there,” he says, sounding entirely too pleased with himself as he points toward the folder in Reiner’s hands. “His file and everything are accessible to you now and whatnot—you know the drill. Let me know if you have any other questions. If this goes well, I’ll see what I can do to give you your former position back.”

Reiner nods again, though he can barely feel the weight of the folder between his fingertips. His brain is still processing this is all really happening, that this isn’t some lame prank Zeke’s pulling on him like he used to in the days before he became his boss (though sometimes he still manages to get a few stunts by without being caught somehow).

“Of course, Sir. Thank you, again, for doing this all for me,” Reiner gets out, though he knows, of course, Zeke is most definitely  _ not _ doing this for Reiner at all. He stands, forcing a small smile before turning to leave.

He’s almost out the door when Zeke stops him. “Oh, and Reiner,” he pipes up, and Reiner slowly turns to look over his shoulder. “There’s a lot on the line here. I’m really counting on you. And please, just give him a chance, alright?”

Reiner can read between the lines well enough to understand. “I won’t let you down,” he says, gripping the door knob tight. Then he closes the door behind him and makes his way to his desk.

_ At least things can’t get any worse than this, _ he laments silently as he tucks Eren’s file under his arm.

  
  
  


“So, how did it go?” Historia chimes, nudging Reiner gently with her elbow. 

“It went,” Reiner grunts, punching in his passcode for his desktop. What he really wants to say is  _ I feel like I’ve just been condemned to execution by divine retribution. _ But there are ears everywhere at work and Reiner’s repute is already hanging on a thread as it is. “I got assigned a remedial case with another Angel.”

Historia hums approvingly. “That sounds great! I had a hunch you were going to be saddled with something like that,” she says sweetly, tucking a pencil behind her ear as she thumbs through the stack of papers in her arms. But she’s perceptive as always, and more than that, concerned. “Is there...anything else that happened...?” she trails off.

Reiner rubs at his temples, trying in vain to massage away his blossoming headache. “Nothing major,” he scoffs. “Just found out I’m going to be partners with Eren Jaeger.”

He hears Historia give a small gasp, and when he turns towards her, her face looks just a few shades paler than normal. She’s stopped rummaging with her papers, and it’s almost as if she’s been frozen in place.

“Well,” she sighs, clearly stunned by Reiner’s response. “I’m sure it will work out okay.”

“Not everyone can be like you and Ymir, you know,” Jean cuts in before Reiner can respond, leaning into his cubicle. Seems like everyone is interested in Reiner’s business nowadays. “I don’t know how you get that Angel to do a single damn thing for you.”

“Ymir isn’t that bad, she’s just interested in other things,” Historia refutes with a frown, but her cheeks are dusted with a soft pink glow. “Besides, we’ve been working together for years now.”

A pang of envy stirs in Reiner’s gut. Historia’s partnership with Ymir is basically heralded as the near-ideal model of what a Demon-Angel couple should look like. Like many other Angels, Ymir doesn’t seem to take the business very seriously, but when Historia says jump, she leaps ten feet high. They’ve had a stellar relationship ever since they were assigned to one another, and are even dating. Reiner’s had no such luck for the entirety of his career, never having the proper time to get cozier than being colleagues with the Angels he’s worked with. Oh, how he wishes he could live the life Historia has.

“Sure, sure,” Jean mutters, sounding very unconvinced. “You should try handling two at once, I think I’ve lost a few hundred years of my life at this point. I don’t know how you did it, Reiner.”

An awkward silence follows the mention of Reiner’s past job. Considering it ended with him losing his work privileges and a demotion, Reiner would say he doesn’t know how he did it either.

Historia quickly catches on to Reiner’s discomfort. “I’m really sorry about everything. I promise in no time it’ll all just be a memory, right, Jean?” Her laughter is bright and airy, and it’s almost enough to make Reiner crack a smile in the midst of his despair.

“She’s right, Reiner, trust me. Best case scenario, you and Jaeger will end up like Historia and Ymir over here!” Jean agrees, jostling Reiner on the shoulder, clearly trying to ease the tension, but he’s limp under his touch. To Reiner, that would be the absolute  _ worst _ case scenario, but he brushes it off without comment. “There’s plenty of other things out there to worry about anyways.

“Yeah, like that report you forgot to turn in last week,” Reiner retorts with a weak smile. “You know you can’t keep using the same old “my Angel ate my homework” excuse forever.”

Historia snorts, and Jean scowls, folding his arms across his chest. “You have no idea what Sasha is like!” he protests. “Some Angels have no dignity, I swear.” The three of them chuckle: there’s a general agreement at work that most Angels despise their job, and that Demons are always the ones picking up their slack. 

Unfortunately for him, extreme cases like Eren’s are far and few between. Reiner distantly thinks that if the rumors about him really are true, he’s going to be suffering until he reaches the finish line. He wishes that all he had to worry about was the threat of Eren munching at his paperwork, but something tells him it’s a waste of energy to even hope for something that forgiving.

  
  
  


Bertholdt is waiting for him at their usual spot for lunch break, chewing away at an apple as he scribbles some notes down on a sheet of paper. He looks up sleepily as Reiner slides into the seat across from him.

“You’re looking a little worse for wear,” Bertholdt observes with a smile, dropping his pen to give Reiner his full attention.

“Is it really that obvious,” sighs Reiner, unpacking his own lunch. His appetite is long gone, but he hates to see food go to waste.

“Let’s just say… you look like you need a good long nap,” Bertholdt says with a shrug. 

Reiner laughs, but it comes out hollow and flat. “I’ll need a whole lot more than a nap to get through all of this.” He forces himself to sit upright. “But enough about me, how are you and Annie?”

Bertholdt blushes and looks away. “Ah, you know… She’s Annie. And I’m me. We’re good!”

“Mhmm,” Reiner nods, gesturing for him to continue. His crush on his coworker is painfully obvious to see. Ever since Bertholdt began working with Annie months back, he’s been head over heels for the blue-eyed Angel. Reiner’s met her a few times, even seen her around Bertholdt’s cubicle when she comes in to report on her kills and other tasks. Bertholdt is always reduced to a stuttering, flushed mess by her presence. It makes Reiner a little uncomfortable actually, because he doesn’t have the heart to tell his best friend that Annie isn’t really into men…

“I actually tried asking if she wanted to meet up after one of our jobs but…” Bertholdt picks at the skin of his apple nervously, a troubled look on his face. “she said she doesn’t work overtime.”

Reiner actually lets out a laugh and it seems to ease some of the tension they’re both feeling for different reasons. “Maybe it’s time for you to let this one go, buddy…” and it’s about all he has the strength to say.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Bertholdt says back with a frown.

“What would you say if I started hitting on Historia?”

“That’s crazy, you’re both gay,” Bertholdt looks incredulous. “That’s the worst example ever, Reiner.”

And with that, Reiner gives up. Better luck next time, he supposes.

The topic moves on from Annie and Bertholdt, their relationship or lack thereof. He gives Bertholdt a chance to complain about how he ordered a new mattress that hasn’t arrived yet, and how he really needs that good night’s sleep, how he used a coupon code from the podcast he’s listening to, and how that podcast has now been cancelled due to a rumored toxic workplace environment (he almost seems moved to tears by the loss), and finally how he has to get some cat food on the way home from work tonight.

Then the subject moves from Bertholdt to Reiner and he finds himself once again summarizing his meeting with Zeke from earlier, detailing the progression of his current predicament and the promise of reinstatement. The moment he namedrops Eren, Bertholdt coughs quietly, clearly trying to cover up the fact he’s begun choking on a bite of apple. 

“I’m doomed,” Reiner declares. He has to fight off the urge to tug at his horns in frustration: it’s a bad habit of his from his anxiety-riddled childhood.

“It can’t be that bad Reiner, I promise.” Bertholdt looks across at his grieving friend, tentatively reaching a hand out to place it atop Reiner’s and squeezing gently. “Why don’t you let me take a look at the file, okay?”

Reiner nods somberly, taking Eren’s file out of his bag and handing it to Bertholdt. He watches him through his fingers as he flicks through the pages, eyes scanning the details of Eren’s crimes. As soon as he notices his eyes widening, even bringing a hand to cover his mouth at one point, Reiner buries his face in his hands completely.

“Just tell me honestly,” His voice is muffled from behind his hands, “Am I going to die?”

There’s a pause. Then, “Well… none of his  _ partners _ have died yet, but I’m only halfway through…” Bertholdt offers apologetically, and now Reiner is wishing he hadn’t insisted upon his honesty. He groans and tosses himself back into the booth like a child throwing a tantrum, but he just can’t help it. At least it makes Bertholdt laugh.

“I’m not hungry anymore…” Reiner pouts, though he really hasn’t been this whole time. “What am I going to do, do you think they’d notice if I put you in a blond wig and sent you in as my body-double?” He laughs weakly at his own joke but all Bertholdt can offer is a nervous smile. Obviously, the prospect of working with Eren is not amusing to him.

“You know I love you Reiner, but I can barely handle Annie, let alone—” he gestures to the file now open on the table in front of him, large red letters reading the word ‘TERMINATED’ stamped across his ex-colleague’s profile, “—whatever this is.” 

Bertholdt is always claiming Annie is a handful, but everyone knows the truth: really, Annie picks the plain and simple jobs, knowing Bertholdt will grow gray hairs if he’s stressed out too much. She basically does the bare minimum possible, only doing the amount that’s passable enough to not get the both of them fired. In fact, the jobs she takes are so easy it’s led to Bertholdt staying in the office more often than taking him out onto the field. 

“You know where I want to be buried, right?” Reiner groans, and he’s already willing to give up; is his job really worth his own inevitable demise?

“If anyone can do this Reiner, it’s you,” Bertholdt squeezes his hand one more time for good measure before closing the file, handing it back, and returning to his previously abandoned apple.

“That’s exactly what everyone said about Marco. Word for word, actually,” Reiner mutters under his breath, but Bertholdt doesn’t seem to hear him.

  
  
  


He comes back into the office post-lunch date and instantly something's off; Reiner can sense it the moment he sets foot in the building.

It’s quieter than usual, and no one’s up and walking through any of the aisles, or rummaging around the cabinets to the side. Everyone seems glued to their seats in their cubicles, absorbed in their work. There’s not a single turn of a head as Reiner makes his way towards his desk. Weird, considering that just this morning he’d been the office spectacle.

Historia taps Reiner’s elbow as she passes him. “Zeke said to go wait in his office for him,” she whispers, so hushed Reiner just barely catches it. Historia’s lips form a tight line, uncharacteristically tense for the usually upbeat Demon. “Good luck.” And then she leaves him to return to her work.

Reiner’s heart starts pounding. Oh, god. Why hadn’t he put the pieces together sooner?

Eren Jaeger must be waiting for him in Zeke’s office.

His heart doesn’t stop thumping against his ribs as he approaches the door. After Bertholdt left him at lunch, Reiner had been a victim to panic, scouring Eren’s file over and over, examining every detail down to a tee. Exhaustive records of Eren’s various “excursions” took up the majority of his profile, accompanied by a neat little list summarizing his offenses along with notes regarding his behavior. And of course, Reiner had a swell time reading the resignation letters of his former partners, all of whom seemed to repeat the same sentiment over and over: Eren Jaeger will ruin your life if you work with him.

To say the reading has been chilling would be an insulting understatement. But Reiner’s no coward. He can do this, he can. He’s been through worse, way worse, he thinks.

With that, he strides into Zeke’s office, shoulders tucked back and chin up. 

There, in one of the extra chairs by Zeke’s desk, sits Eren Jaeger. 

The glow of his halo illuminates the dark room, but his face is still hidden behind raven locks of hair. He’s basically the spitting image of his file’s portrait, sporting a white eye patch and a blank expression. Silver accessories adorn him all over, from a set of ear piercings, to a nose stud and a few rings. Though he’s dressed in the formal Angel Corps trench coat, Reiner can see he’s also wearing a black hoodie underneath, a hand stuffed into the middle pocket. It’s not as if Reiner’s really ever seen an Angel in full uniform, but the unprofessionalism still has him feeling uneasy.

And yet, he has to admit… he’s actually quite beautiful. As all Angels are, naturally. It’s not that they have the conventionally attractive nature of their Demon counterparts, no, it’s much more like looking at a painting and admiring all the strokes that come together to make a whole. It’s something he’s heard about Eren, a side note sprinkled in throughout the various rumours of the Angel. _Not only is Eren dangerous and volatile, but he’s mesmerizing, paralyzing to behold, some people say the hunter stuns his prey like Medusa, turning them to stone before obliterating them with a flick of his wrist._ Whether that’s true or not, Reiner doesn’t know, but Eren is unquestionably handsome. 

Reiner brings a hand to his mouth, almost wheezing. The smell of smoke fills his lungs, and he almost wonders why, until he spies the cigarette caught between the Angel’s lips. He glances from his mouth to the window—it’s just barely cracked open, as if Eren knew it was common courtesy to do so, but couldn’t even be bothered to open it all the way to actually let the smoke out.

He glances back to Eren, meaning to ask him to put it out, that Zeke would go nuts over the scent of ash and cinders, and that he shouldn’t be smoking on the job, but the words die in his throat. There’s something almost hypnotic about the way his lips pucker slightly around the cigarette, his breathing echoing around in the small room, that seems to hold Reiner’s attention in a vice-like grip. Then all the rumors, all the records of Eren’s past and personality fill Reiner’s mind: Eren is the worst of the worst; Eren will leave you scarred for life; abandon all hope if you’re ever unlucky enough to even be in the same room as Eren.

Reiner grits his teeth. Despite everything, he still wants to believe that this can work out, that Eren might not be as horrible as the rumors make him out to be. Sure, the chances might be impossibly slim, but maybe he’ll take it easy on Reiner, maybe they’ll magically hit it off even! He’s keeping his hopes up as high as possible.

“Hi, I’m Reiner Braun, your new partner as of today,” he chirps as lively as he can muster. Sitting next to Eren, he leans forward and sticks a hand out for him to shake, a practiced smile plastered on his lips, one that he hopes is warm enough to get the Angel to open up to him. Reiner considers himself to be quite capable in that department. He’s had great success in situations like these before, there’s no reason to believe he’ll fail here. 

Eren is silent. He looks Reiner up and down, slowly, like he’s a piece of meat, until his gaze catches his own. His one green eye is piercing, cold. Then he plucks the cigarette from his lips, and with a puff of smoke says, “So you’re my brother’s bitch.”

Turns out Reiner’s hopes were a little too high.

“Um,” Reiner coughs. How the hell is he supposed to respond to that?  _ What is wrong with you,  _ he wants to say, but Zeke’s pleading to  _ “just give him a chance!” _ rings dully in the back of his mind. That, and the chance of being reinstated to his former role once he gets through this. He resolves to swallow down his pride—it’s not too hard considering he’s been doing it for the past couple of weeks. “If you mean I work for Zeke, then yes, you’re right.”

“Sure,” is all Eren says back. His expression is wholly unreadable, but if Reiner had to take a stab at what he was feeling it would probably be ‘unimpressed.’

They stay there like that for a moment, just staring at each other. Reiner still has his hand extended out waiting for the handshake that will never be returned. He thinks that maybe they’re sizing each other up, but Eren’s expression seems to span from cold indifference to amusement, and Reiner feels the need to loosen his tie.

The creak of the doorknob being twisted open cuts through the tension, and Zeke is making his way into the room to join them, not bothering with an apology for being late. Eren returns his attention back to staring out of the window, sky a brilliant crimson as the sun sets, taking another drag of his cigarette before it’s ripped from his fingers by his brother and shoved into the ashtray on his desk.

“Reiner,” Zeke turns towards him, and Reiner straightens his back instinctively at the command. “I see you’ve met Eren already so I’ll skip the pleasantries and move straight on with business. I want to start you both off with something simple,” Zeke pushes a manila envelope across the desk towards Reiner, before seating himself in his chair between him and Eren, leaning back and crossing his legs. 

Reiner nods curtly, picking up the folder from the desk. He slips the papers out, sifting through the usual briefing format. Something-something, 25km due west of Utgard, something-something, elemental disruption. It all seems like the usual work he’s been put up to for the last year of his career, but his eyes begin to grow wider, scanning the page and catching buzzwords like ‘MULTIPLE CASUALTIES’ and ‘HIGH-LEVEL THREAT’.

“Sorry,” Reiner sputters, he hasn’t even reached the end of the first page and he can’t believe what he’s reading, “but are you sure this is the right case file?” 

Zeke leans forward to peek at the number printed atop the file before returning to his previous position, “Pretty sure, yeah.”

“I thought this was supposed to be a remedial case? Aren’t they supposed to be,” how can Reiner find the words without sounding dismissive... “easy?”

This earns a laugh from Zeke and a scoff from Eren, and Reiner glances between the both of them, incredulous. The two’s family resemblance is almost uncanny.

“Reiner, when I said “remedial case” I didn’t mean you’d be doing customer service for the Demon Division. This is about you, the both of you, and your reputation. Don’t tell me you thought that cut to your paycheck meant you’d be doing less work?” Zeke offers, and it sounds almost conniving.

“No, Sir, I suppose…” Reiner doesn’t get a chance to finish before he spies Eren in his peripheral, kicking his feet up onto Zeke’s desk with such brazen confidence it has Reiner forgetting the rest of his sentence. 

“Are you stupid.” It’s a statement, not a question. Eren isn’t even looking at him as he speaks. “They’re giving us the shit that no one else wants as punishment for being  _ too good _ .” 

Reiner casts a glance in Zeke’s direction, lost on how to handle the situation. Is he just going to let Eren talk to him like that!?

“Eren, get your feet off the table.” Is all Zeke has to offer, leaving Reiner floundering. Eren doesn’t seem to hear him, just throws his arms back behind his head. “You two will be leaving tomorrow morning, so make sure you have enough packed for at least two days. Reiner, I expect you to keep Eren under control, and please,” he turns to look at Eren, who doesn’t spare him even a glance, “ _ stick to the brief _ .”

Neither Eren or Reiner say anything in return. The Angel seems to not have heard a single word Zeke has spoken in the past couple of minutes, and Reiner isn’t sure if he should reprimand him for his unprofessionalism or not.

With that, Zeke claps his hands. “No questions? Perfect, I know I can rely on you both to get the job done!” he says, so gleeful it almost makes Reiner sick to his stomach. “I’ll be seeing you both soon, then. Bye!” He gives them both a wave of dismissal, and Eren’s already up and moving to leave before Zeke’s even finished his sentence.

“Sir,” Reiner offers politely, tailing Eren, before Zeke shuts the door to his office in their faces, leaving the pair staring at the frosted glass. Eren lets out a low chuckle as Zeke’s shadow retreats back to his desk.

“What?” Reiner snaps his head to hiss at him. He’s already losing his patience.

“Wow,” Eren waves it off, fishing out a pack of cigarettes from his coat pocket, “you really are his bitch.”

All Reiner can do is stare back, absolutely dumbfounded. And that’s when he notices the silence, the hum of the constantly running air conditioner being the only sound filling the strange quiet. He slowly turns his head around, and to his horror, the entire office has gone stone still, staring right at him with wide eyes, peering over the tops of their cubicles. Mortified, Reiner realizes every single one of his coworkers has just heard Eren call him a  _ bitch. _

Even Historia is glancing at him from across the room by the water dispenser, an apologetic look coloring her face. After a dreadful, painstaking silence, one that must stretch on for almost ten whole seconds, Historia clears her throat very loudly, and everyone resumes their work without another word.

He looks back to Eren who has the biggest shit eating grin on his face, before he puts another cigarette between his lips, turning to leave. “See you tomorrow, I guess,” Eren signals with one hand, already on his way before Reiner can even get a word in.

Reiner feels the sheer humiliation of it all rising up, heat flaring in his cheeks as he begins his walk of shame down the centre of the office back to his cubicle. As if the gossip wasn’t bad enough already, it was about to get a whole lot worse.

  
  
  


_ Wow, you really are his bitch. _

Eren’s words had been running laps in Reiner’s head from the moment he left the office, to when he slipped in bed to sleep last night, to where he stood now, telling their driver “please, just five more minutes,” for the Nth time this morning, waiting for the Angel to show up for their assignment. 

He didn’t have much time to chat with anyone before the end of work yesterday, staying late to study the details of their brief. Usually people would stop by to say goodnight before leaving the office, but after Eren’s little display yesterday, it didn’t escape Reiner’s notice that they would stop their hushed whispers as they passed by his cubicle.

What the hell did he even mean anyway? Reiner doesn’t believe he’s particularly the ass-kissing type—he works hard, and then works harder, taking every opportunity to move up the ladder. But he supposes it’s that attitude that landed him where he was today. He’s never been punished for being such a hard worker before…No, Reiner rejects the idea that he’s anything close to being the Divisions’—let alone Zeke’s— _ bitch. _

He’s caught up in his thoughts and barely sees Eren saunter over to the car before swinging open the back, passenger side door. “Hurry up, we’re gonna be late,” is all he has to say, before throwing his weight into the back, and pulling the door behind him with a force that makes the car bounce on it’s tires. Already exhausted, Reiner opens his own door, nodding apologetically to the driver and gets into the backseat alongside Eren.

The drive to outer Utgard takes them a fair amount of time, Reiner knew this, but any opportunity he thought he might have to get to know more about Eren before their mission is figuratively thrown out of the window. He has his ears plugged up with earbuds, blasting music so loud that Reiner can hear the tinny sound echoing throughout the space. 

Reiner makes idle chit-chat with their designated driver, discussing various things one might do, such as the weather, Division pay, or lack thereof, and the most exciting client their driver has ever had in the back of his cab. 

The space was ample enough for the two of them, but Eren’s lack of social awareness was something Reiner was beginning to pick up on. As the driver wrapped up his story about the one time he made a wrong turn and ended up in the middle of a full scale monster attack, Reiner jumps at the sensation of something pressing against his thigh.

The Angel is practically splayed out across the back seats, sinking lower and lower almost to the point of lying down completely. It’s one of the worst cases of manspreading Reiner has ever witnessed. Has this man no shame?

“Eren,” Reiner sighs, “Can you please move over a little?” 

Not much luck. He knocks his knee against Eren’s to try and get a reaction. Hopefully he’ll get the message, maybe he’s just dozed off, or hadn’t noticed. There’s no response.

“Eren,” Reiner tries again a little louder this time. His eyes dart to the rearview mirror, catching the eyes of the driver, who’s stealing glances back at them, before quickly averting his gaze. His cheeks are hot with embarrassment, frustration getting the better of him. He’s not going to back down, though.

Reiner presses his leg against Eren’s more insistently. He has to be ignoring him, because at this point, he’s practically kneeing him. It suddenly occurs to Reiner that he’s being played. He’s messing with the Angel who’s known to raze whole landscapes, so this... _ leg action _ probably has no effect whatsoever on him. Resigned, Reiner rolls his eyes and scoots closer to the door in an attempt to move away from him.

Before he gets the chance to escape, Eren’s hooking his leg over Reiner’s thigh, trapping him in place. What the fuck, this man is  _ deranged.  _ He shoots a glare towards Eren, not expecting the man to be paying him any attention, only to find him staring back with that one cold, expressionless eye. A sly smile spreads across his face, and Reiner realizes Eren must have been completely aware of his discomfort the whole time. Fuming, he snaps his head away, hoping his face isn’t as red as he thinks it is, ignoring the way Eren’s heel digs into his leg.

No wonder Marco quit. 

  
  
  


They arrive at their approximate location, an empty field to be precise, their driver leaving them alone with Reiner’s single piece of luggage (Eren brought no supplies, he notes), promising to be back later that evening to take them to their prearranged accommodation. 

Reiner follows the direction of the divining compass Zeke had included in the brief, calibrated to guide them toward their target. The device leads them to a forest at the far end of the field, trees loosely packed together casting long shadows that seem to swallow up the landscape. With a sigh, Reiner realizes this is going to be a long walk.

“Stay close to me, please,” Reiner clears his throat, but before he’s even done speaking finds that Eren is walking right past him and into the forest. “Eren,” he hisses with a roll of his eyes, stomping after him.

The Angel continues to pretend like he isn’t even there. A billow of smoke rises up into the air, and Reiner realizes he’s smoking  _ again.  _ “Unbelievable,” he mutters to himself. They’ve hardly started this damn mission and Reiner can barely even get Eren to acknowledge his presence. He doesn’t want to know how difficult it will be to manage him during an actual battle.

Eventually Reiner catches up with Eren. He’s taller than the Angel, his strides long enough to keep pace with him. Before, Reiner thought it would have been best to stay in front, to guide Eren and let him know he’s in charge. The nagging worry that Eren would run off the second he turns away though quickly squashed that idea. Instead, he settles for keeping close to his side, looking from the divining compass to Eren every now and then, as if the Angel would cut and run if he dared to ignore him for too long.

Reiner had hoped to fill this part of the mission with some small talk, too, if not to get to know Eren better then at least to occupy himself and stave off boredom. Again, though, it looks like that won’t be happening. Eren’s still off in his own world, guarded from any attempts at dialogue by his earbuds. Reiner is almost certain that even if he shouted at the top of his lungs, Eren wouldn’t hear him. 

“Just a few minutes ago it seemed like you didn’t want to be anywhere near me,” Eren suddenly muses, brushing his elbow against Reiner’s.

Reiner jumps, clutching the divining compass tight. “You,” he starts with gritted teeth, feeling warmth beginning to flood his cheeks. “Can you actually hear me through those?” He glares daggers down at Eren’s earbuds.

“Yup. Loud and clear,” affirms Eren with a lazy smirk. 

A thousand curses bubble up in Reiner’s throat, and he somehow manages to keep them from spilling over. So back in the car Eren really  _ was _ fucking with him. He massages the bridge of his nose. “I just want to keep an eye on you,” he grumbles.

He must have said something funny, because Eren snickers, “What, do you want to hold hands now?” And he actually takes a hand out of his pocket, fingertips grazing Reiner’s. It’s the first time he’s touched him, his skin is so cold it’s like he’s frostbitten. The unprovoked touch leaves Reiner feeling fuzzy, dazed, before he yanks his entire arm away.

“Just don’t go too far ahead of me,” Reiner says, glowering back at Eren.

Eren’s shoulders shake as he laughs softly, his gaze set on Reiner’s hand. He’s eyeing it as if it were something he could eat, and Reiner almost shudders. He says nothing, just continues walking on, advancing past Reiner. 

“Can’t you take this seriously?” Reiner is exasperated, frustrated at Eren’s lackadaisical attitude. He knows all Angels are like this, and Reiner believes he’s a pretty patient guy, but he’s really being tested now. He jogs a little to catch up with Eren from where he’s pulled ahead. “We’re both getting our paychecks cut here, and I can’t afford to take another hit because of you.”

Eren has the courtesy to glance at him, “Huh, yeah, I remember Zeke said you got a pay cut,” he says offhandedly, and Reiner is surprised to learn he was even listening during their briefing yesterday. “Sucks for you, I got a raise.”

“What the fuck…” it slips out before Reiner has a chance to catch himself. He doesn’t like swearing on the job but he can’t believe this. Wasn’t the reason he landed himself on this case with Reiner in the first place because he caused a reckless amount of property damage by undermining the authority of his last Demon partner? Yes, he destroyed a monster that had been plaguing the Division for years but it was so bad that Marco  _ quit. _ And Eren got a  _ raise _ for that?

His accidental profanity slip gets a slight laugh from Eren at least. “Nah, not really, I’m just fucking with you.” He flicks the cigarette ash out in front of them and Reiner makes sure to step it into the ground. He’s not causing an accidental forest fire on Reiner’s watch. “Demons are too gullible.”

Oh, right, he was laughing at him, not with him. Reiner can’t help the embarrassment that shows itself as a dark pink across his cheeks. 

“I didn’t get a pay cut though, that’s true,” Eren continues, taking another drag of his cigarette, holding it in his lungs before letting it out in a stream of smoke before them. “They need me too much to threaten me with shit like that.”

“What?” Reiner questions, incredulous. 

“They just need me,” Eren offers with a lazy shrug. 

Reiner barely contains a laugh of disbelief. “Need  _ you? _ Eren Jaeger, the infamous Angel of Destruction?” he scoffs lightly, flipping the divining compass shut. He has a good idea of where they’re going, it won’t be long until they reach their destination. “And why’s that? They need more people to burn a couple cities to the ground every now and then?”

It was really meant as a joke, but Eren doesn’t laugh. He actually stops dead in his tracks, and Reiner slows, eyeing him nervously. Dammit, there’s no way he hit a nerve just now. This whole time, Eren’s seemingly been immune to all of Reiner’s attempts at conversation, and only  _ now  _ he’s affected?

But Eren isn’t even looking at Reiner, as per usual. The two of them stand there, wordless as the chirping and singing of birds fills his ears and the sunlight filters through the treetops, dappling the forest floor with dots of gold. Then Eren raises an open palm, as if he were reaching forward, breathing in. Reiner’s about to ask what’s looking for, when there’s a sickening  _ SNAP  _ as the Angel clenches his fist. 

Instantaneously, the tree just ahead of them explodes, bark and branches splintering, ricocheting like shrapnel. Leaves scatter, whirling around as globs of flesh, blood, and bone fly through the air, and Reiner ducks. A shrill scream rings out and the stench of iron and death hits Reiner hard, leaving him dizzy. It’s not that Reiner isn’t used to it, he’s dealt with the smell for years, but he was completely unprepared for... _ this. _

When he looks up from under his hand, raised over his horns to shield his eyes, he sees what appears to be the maimed corpse of a low-grade monster. It’s so mangled and twisted out of shape that Reiner barely recognizes it as such.

He only realizes how hard he’s breathing as he turns to Eren, who seems completely unphased. “That’s why,” he says curtly, lowering his arm back to his side.

“Oh.” Reiner nods. Suddenly, all words escape him. Is...is this what pure fear feels like?

“Don’t sweat it, that trick only works on weak creatures. That thing hadn’t been following us for long and it smelled bad so I just killed it,” Eren sighs tiredly, before stuffing his hands into his coat pockets, as if none of this was a big deal in the slightest. He peers down at Reiner through black strands of hair. “You don’t have to worry about ending up like that. I might have to put in some effort with you if I even wanted to try."

Reiner has no idea what to say at that. “Th...thanks?” he says, at a loss. What is he even thanking Eren for? It’s not exactly ‘etiquette’ to outright tell your colleague  _ “by the way I won’t be killing you, so you can rest easy.”  _ This man’s sensibilities are beyond Reiner.

Based on what he just witnessed, Reiner can’t help but think that all the rumours really are true. If he could completely annihilate a monster, let alone the tree around it with a clench of his fist, he shivers to think what he could do with those hands…Mind out of the gutter, Braun. At his full strength, the threats of Eren flattening the world don’t seem so abstract now, Reiner shouldn’t be thinking about having those hands anywhere near him, but the weight of Eren’s leg pressing atop of his in the back of the cab keeps his mind occupied. Maybe it’s just been  _ too long _ for Reiner, or maybe he was no better than humans falling for an Angel’s ethereal grace. 

He tries to refocus his mind and concentrate on the mission. He  _ needs _ this. He needs his job and this remedial case to go well for him, much, much more than he needs to get laid. He was a professional, and he’s going to keep things that way. He doesn’t need to be getting cozy with a coworker especially when his job is on the line. He looks back to the other man, now shoving his hands in his pockets and pulling on ahead, leaving Reiner trailing behind like a sad puppy. Right, he needs this to go well, and he needs to keep Eren under control.

  
  
  


They walk for a while, in silence, the same thoughts continuing through Reiner’s head. When he brings the divining compass out of his pocket again, flipping open the lid and gazing down at the contraption in his palm, he finds the needle spinning, unsteady on its axis, the dial under its surface whirring aimlessly. He sighs in frustration, “ _ cheap piece of crap,” _ he thinks, and wonders if Zeke set him up for failure after all. 

Exasperated, he shoves the compass back where it came from and shouts to Eren up ahead, “Hey, our compass has decided to stop working, so we should go back and wait for replacement equipment and begin again tomorrow.” It’s annoying, but it’s standard procedure, nothing Reiner hasn’t dealt with before. He knows how much is riding on this job and he does not want to mess up the most basic part by getting lost.

Eren stops in his tracks, whipping around to be face to face with Reiner. He narrows his eye, looking him up and down before reaching his hand inside Reiner’s pants pocket, slim fingers gently brushing through the thin fabric separating his upper thigh and the compass. Reiner’s breath is caught in his throat, partially in surprise and partially due to being touched so gently and so suddenly by his hurricane of a partner. 

But as soon as it starts, it’s over, Eren’s fingers clasping around the small metallic object, bringing it out to inspect it. He looks Reiner in the eyes again, a small smirk tugging at the corners of his lips before turning his back to him to take a look at the compass himself. “Hmm,” Eren mulls over, Reiner can’t see much of what he’s doing but he seems to be tipping it back and forth, shaking it a little to try and shock the needle out of its spasming. “I always ignore these shitty things, let's go.” With that he pockets the compass, not bothering to look back at Reiner before continuing their trek into the forest. 

Reiner casts his mind back to earlier, Eren crushing the creaturing hiding within the tree by barely moving his hand, and realises he’s not in a position to protest. They walk for a while, trees beginning to blur together, all looking the same, so Reiner’s marking each significant turning point, slashing the bark of passing trees with a flick of his finger, hoping,  _ praying _ they won’t get too lost on their way back to their rendezvous point in a few hours time. He’s definitely leaving this part off his report: what the Division doesn’t know won’t hurt them. He’ll simply hand the broken equipment back to the driver and it will be replaced by morning. No one has to know.

They’ve been walking for a good 30 minutes, the endless stretch of trees becoming denser, the moss and foliage under their feet thicker, and Reiner’s trying to stop his intrusive thoughts from getting the better of him. With Eren taking the compass he’s pretty much lost all contact with the Division and suddenly he hopes that if he doesn’t make it back, that they’ll have the good sense to send someone out to look for his body. Or what might remain of it. He can see the headlines now;  _ ROGUE ANGEL KILLS DEMON PARTNER IN VIOLENT PREMEDITATED ATTACK; _ and great, that’s more office gossip, he can only hope that Historia will be there to defend his reputation since he won’t be able to do it himself. He shakes himself out of it, Eren’s done a lot of shit in his career, and been through more than his fair share of partners, but he hasn’t killed one.  _ Not yet,  _ Reiner thoughtfully adds.

“You don’t know where we’re going, do you?” Reiner pipes up, meaning to sound confident and sarcastic, hoping the doubt in his mind doesn’t come through in his voice.

Eren simply taps his temple with two fingers, still looking ahead, “Angels’ intuition,” he turns back to look at Reiner, a cool smile plastered on his face, the sharpness of his teeth catching the light filtering through the trees, “you don’t trust me?”

Suddenly, there’s a loud _CRACK_ above them, Reiner looking up to see a thick branch falling rapidly towards him, before a blur of movement and a sharp thud as his back hits a tree behind him, air knocked from his lungs with the force of the impact. He can hear the severed limb of the tree clatter to the forest floor, sending up dust and leaving a cacophony of snapping twigs in its wake, the birds above him fleeing the scene with an echo of caws and shrieks. 

Reiner looks up, clutching the fabric of his shirt that hugs his chest, face to face with Eren. He has his hands pinned on either side of Reiner’s head, fingers digging into the bark with a strength that could almost be possessive. He’s looking over his shoulder at the fallen branch, eye darting around to check for any other approaching dangers.

“I can handle myself,” Reiner gasps out, still short of breath from the blow to his back, but then Eren turns to look at him, and his breathing hitches again.

“I know,” Eren replies, voice low and seemingly without emotion. His hair hangs over his covered eye, the long strands caught on the epaulette of his jacket, framing his face. 

“Then what are you doing?” His voice is quieter than he intended. He’s so focused on the man in front of him, face inches from his own. He shouldn’t be feeling so flustered being so close to someone else, and tries to convince himself that the way his heart is hammering in his chest is merely due to the adrenaline. 

“Angels’ intuition…” Eren offers, his eye flitting down to Reiners lips and he licks them instinctively. Eren hasn’t made an attempt to move from where he has Reiner pinned against the tree. Reiner knows he should push Eren away, that he’s just messing with him like he was back at the office, in the car on the way here, but he’s held down by his gaze, and some sick part of him wants to see how far Eren is willing to go in his attempts to...what? Make him quit like everyone else? If he wants to make this work, he has to get on Eren’s level.

“I’m beginning to think you orchestrated that to find another excuse just to get close to me again…” Reiner retorts, a practised confidence filling his chest. He smiles, narrowing his eyes, a challenge.

“And what if I did…” Eren quips back, voice as smooth as ever, gaze unreadable, plastering on a smirk to match Reiner’s own. “What are you going to do about it,” He leans in then, hair brushing against Reiner’s cheek to whisper lowly, hot breath tickling against the shell of his ear, the acrid scent of burnt coffee from his cigarette filling his nostrils as he breathes out, “ _ bitch _ .”

The curse sparks a bolt of humiliation in Reiner’s stomach. The memory of standing back in his office, realizing his colleagues had heard Eren demean him out in the open for everyone to see was as clear as day. Why was Eren doing all this to him, treating him like some kind of toy for his own amusement? Reiner’s never had to suffer through this kind of torment before, it’s absolutely unbearable. His face feels hot, and he clenches his fists at his sides. This damn Angel… Reiner’s not going to let him get to him any longer.

“Rumours at the Division say you threatened to eat another Angel in a bid to absorb his blessing for yourself…” Reiner breathes out coolly, his voice unsteady, lips close to Eren’s ear and he can see his shoulders rise up and down in silent laughter. 

Eren turns his head slightly, and Reiner can almost feel his bared teeth on his neck. “Do you really believe that…” He can hear Eren breathing in through his nose, and he’s sure that he’s smelling the unabashed fear radiating off him. This time, Reiner can’t hold back a shiver. “Demons really are something else.” Eren hums.

Reiner can’t tell if Eren is lying or not, so he stays silent and lets the Angel continue, “If you’re that worried, you better watch yourself tonight…”

Eren lingers impossibly close to him for a moment longer, before pulling away as quickly as he had when he first trapped him there. “What happened to all that confidence just a moment ago, Reiner?” he laughs softly, approaching the falling branch to kick at it with his boot. “Lighten up. You’re so damn tight.”

Not waiting for a response, Eren spins on his heel and walks on, leaving Reiner flush against the tree. He does  _ not _ want to think about the word  _ ‘tight’ _ in reference to himself, especially when it’s coming from Eren. He doesn’t know how far Eren is willing to take this game he’s started with him today, but the trepidation at sharing a room with him tonight makes his stomach tighten in both fear and arousal. Man, he was fucked. 

Another cracking sound from above, and Reiner is snapped back to the present. This time it’s a little further ahead of them, and Eren seems just as alert as he is, knees bent like a cat waiting to pounce. Then he’s off running, and Reiner is left chasing after him, swearing under his breath, not keen on letting Eren out of his sights.

Eren stops abruptly ahead of him, Reiner almost bumping into him, steadying himself to stand just behind his right shoulder and Eren’s arms come out instinctively to shield the Demon from whatever is approaching. 

Then he sees it—snaking around a tree is some kind of slimy, foul-looking monster, jaws open wide as it groans. Its sharp fangs are so large Reiner could count them from this distance. A monster of this size doesn’t look like it would be too hard to handle, but Reiner keeps his guard up. He turns his attention to Eren; it’s his job to deal with the kills, Reiner’s here to make sure he doesn’t tear down the whole ecosystem in the process.

But Eren does nothing. He’s completely, utterly still, and if Reiner wasn’t stupid he would think he’d been scared shitless. 

“Eren?” Reiner raises a brow. He recalls him saying that “trick” back with the first monster only works on weaklings. Maybe he’s concentrating? 

The slug-like creature is making its way closer, slithering along the forest floor, groans growing louder and louder, as if it’s in pain. Eren is clearly its target, as it moves faster, faster, making a beeline for the Angel.

The monster makes a lunge towards them, like a desert viper leaping out from under the shade of its shelter and in an instant, Eren is biting down on the flesh of his thumb hard enough to draw blood, before clapping his hands together with a loud  _ SMACK _ . He twists his wrists, pushing the heels of his hands together with such force that Reiner can see the veins in his hands standing out and straining under his tan skin. 

The monster stops abruptly mid-strike, as though caught in Eren’s grasp. Through the translucent slime of its body, it’s insides begin to tremmer, like it was fibrillating under severe pressure of an unseen force. Eren clamps his fingers down around his hands and with that the creature implodes, as though it’s guts are being sucked into themselves, falling into a gelatinous mass on the forest floor; not even a twitch from the lifeless corpse. 

Eren stands up, straightening his knees. The bite mark on his hand steams lightly as the flesh begins to reform over the gaping wound. Reiner blinks, hardly processing what just happened. His frazzled mind tries to call back the details of Eren’s powers from his file. Eren must have combined both his shadow and blood abilities—there were a few lines on the lethality of such a technique. 

“Two kills then,” Reiner notes, ready to jot it down on his clipboard.

Then Eren whirls around, as if Reiner had just insulted him. He points right at him, and for a moment Reiner thinks he’s about to use his powers on him,  _ goodbye world _ , before realizing he’s gesturing to the space behind him. “Huh—” Reiner frowns, starting to turn to see where’s pointing, when there’s a sickening squelch from over his shoulder. He barely manages to react in time, dodging the remnants of teeth and muscle whizzing past him. The poor monster is dead before it even hits the ground with a  _ thud. _

“Three kills,” Eren then corrects Reiner casually. He’s brushing his hair back behind his ear when Reiner turns back to him.

“Thank you…” Reiner breathes out, not fully processing what just unfolded. The way they sprinted off deeper into the forest, the first monster attacking and being easily dealt with ahead of them, Reiner letting his guard down allowing another to creep up from behind—if it weren’t for Eren, Reiner knows he would be healing an injury of his own right about now. He doubts it would have been anything severe, Reiner can certainly hold his own, but he wasn’t expecting Eren to lift a finger for him at all.

“Don’t mention it,” Eren swipes the back of his still bloody hand across his face, mopping up the thin sheen of sweat from his upper lip. He wipes the remaining blood onto his jacket as though it means nothing to him, looking back at the path they created on their way to this spot. “We should get back, it’s getting dark.” And he takes off again.

They make their way back through the forest in silence, arriving back at their rendezvous point to see their driver pulling up moments before they do. There’s a comment about good timing from their chauffeur but Reiner only acknowledges it with a nod, slinging himself into the back seat next to Eren once again. 

He glances over at the Angel, who seems to be staring daggers into the lit up ‘no smoking’ sign in the car, fingers itching at his pockets, knowing he was eager for a quick smoke, but surprised to see Eren respect the rules. His eyes slide shut, but Reiner would hardly believe he was trying to sleep. He’s not falling for it again as his knee presses incessantly against his own once more.

As they drive off, Reiner’s left to mull over the events of the day. Three kills made, and none of them matching the description of the monster given to him by Zeke in the case file. He thinks about the tiny box on his paperwork marked  _ ‘EXCEPTIONS’ _ and wonders how he’s going to fit everything that happened into such a small space. He knows these extra kills are mostly unavoidable, but the Division still doesn’t take kindly to unauthorised action. He just hopes these encounters won’t get him into trouble, interfering with a job from another agency. Hopefully, these monsters were insignificant enough to be chalked up as nothing more than a few lost bounties.

  
  
  


Before arriving at the hotel, the driver offers to drop them off at a fast food place he recommends in Utgard. He says he’ll be back in an hour or so but Reiner almost begs him to stay, glancing at the unresponsive Angel and realising he’ll be stuck with him for the whole night. They spend a few hours exchanging stories and small talk, it feels good to have someone praise all the achievements Reiner’s experienced in his career, but Eren’s small eyerolls and half scoffs don’t escape his notice every now and then. The bastard is undermining him again, he knows it, but he tries to keep his attention focused on the conversation.

Unfortunately, it looks like the Division has booked just one twin for the both of them, instead of separate individual rooms like Reiner had hoped. It’s standard for new recruits, but it’s been ages since he’s had to share with someone else. He’s bitter as he brushes the keycard against their room’s lock, muttering  _ “cheapskates”  _ quietly to himself. At least he’s not going to be sharing a bed with Eren; it’s his only consolation out of this entire ordeal.

Eren flops down on one of the sofa chairs in the corner as Reiner unpacks his things. He knew Eren had essentially brought nothing with him, but something about the way he’s lazing about, still gnawing away at a complimentary front desk cookie while Reiner busies himself with getting ready for bed, is grating on his nerves.

Reiner assumes Eren has no interest in him, and it’s when he begins unbuttoning his shirt that he gets the feeling he is, in fact, being watched. Sure enough, the Angel is leering at him, unabashed even as Reiner stares back. It’s that same look he had back when they first met, seemingly mapping out his body. With a sigh, he stops at the third button. “Do you mind?” he grunts, punctuating his irritation with a scowl.

Eren just chuckles, and oh, this man is absolutely  _ infuriating. _ “I do not,” he says, crossing one leg over the other. His gaze falls down from Reiner’s eyes, to his neck and collarbones, then to his exposed chest, barely covered by his open shirt. Eren’s eye is icy, unyielding, and yet Reiner finds himself feeling flushed and sweaty.

With a huff, Reiner stretches his shirt closed, grabbing his change of clothes to escape to the bathroom. “I can’t have anything at all, can I?” he splutters to himself under his breath, slamming the door behind him. The least Eren could do for him is give him some privacy, but apparently that’s asking for too much.

Steeling himself in the bathroom, he can safely strip and change into his night clothes without Eren’s prying eye on him, and he hopes that he doesn’t have a secret blessing allowing him to see through walls—Reiner quickly silences the thought in his head of Eren watching him, refusing to acknowledge the way it’s making him hot under the collar. He brushes his teeth, glancing at his tired reflection in the mirror, scrubbing some dried toothpaste that is caught in his beard into the sink. The stubble on his jaw is visible where he usually shaves it, but he didn’t bring a razor with him, and doesn’t want to chance the shitty, single blade ones provided by the hotel. 

He finishes up his business, leaving his toothbrush in one of the two glasses by the sink and applies a fair smear of chapstick to his lips. As he pushes the door open, toeing on a pair of those cheap one-use-only slippers left for guests, he sees another pair of feet waiting for him on the carpet. Reiner only has a second before Eren is pushing him back against the door, closing it shut against his weight, and he’s chest to chest with the Angel. His slight advantage in height means Eren is peering up at him through dark lashes and thick eyebrows, but Reiner hardly feels like the one in control here. 

There’s no warmth coming from Eren’s body, he’s so cold Reiner could almost mistake him for a corpse. Reiner, on the other hand, feels like he’s just stepped out of a sauna, hot, light headed and off-kilter. Eren’s examining Reiner like a well cooked steak, focus darting from one eye to the other and down to Reiner’s moist lips.

He opens his mouth to say something, anything to get him out of this situation, maybe push Eren off of him and tell him off like he has been all day. Instead he lies motionless against the door, mouth hanging open like a fish out of water, and it only seems to pique Eren’s interest even more. 

Finally, Reiner manages to get out, “This is the part where you eat me, right?” It’s meant to come out as a joke, like he’s playing along with Eren’s game, or whatever this is, but his voice cracks halfway through. 

“If you like…” Eren smiles, his tongue darting out to run across the sharpness of his teeth and Reiner hears himself audibly gulp, heart hammering in his chest so hard he knows that Eren can feel it too.

Eren brings a hand up, fingers pressing against Reiners lips. He wants to open his mouth to protest but as soon as he does, Eren has two of his fingers inside Reiner’s mouth, pressing against the underside of his teeth. He grunts, stunned. What the hell is he doing? He doesn’t know how to react, but to stand there and take it, Eren’s fingers examining his canines. 

“Seems like  _ you _ could be the one to eat me with these…” Eren hums and Reiner lets out an embarrassing sound he can’t hold in his throat. Eren presses the pads of his fingers down on Reiner’s tongue to force his mouth open wider, and he does, compliant to everything and anything Eren wants to do. He told him to loosen up, right? That’s all he’s doing here. He feels the saliva in his mouth begin to pool in his bottom jaw, threatening to spill over his lips and down his chin and Eren’s smirk spreads wider across his face. 

Damn it, wasn’t Reiner supposed to be the one keeping Eren under control? Here he is opening his mouth, giving himself to his new partner as though he has no measure of autonomy over even himself. The glint in Eren’s eye is lethal, has Reiner almost choking on his digits. There’s something about Eren that makes Reiner so weak, leaves him wanting to give in, to give up everything to the Angel. To just quit. 

“Excuse me,” is all Eren says next, polite, as if he were well-behaved and good-mannered, not wanting to disturb him. Reiner can feel his other hand brush past his hip to reach for the doorknob behind him. He slowly withdraws his fingers from Reiners mouth, brushing the wet digits along Reiner’s bottom lip before he’s wiping them on Reiner’s clean shirt. He’s too shocked to even scold him for treating his clothes like a cheap napkin.

He snaps his mouth shut, swallowing back all the spit accumulated in his mouth and nods, “Sorry…” It’s all he can manage to say, ducking his head and retreating quickly back to his bed. He wastes no time pulling back the sheets and climbing inside, turning to face the wall so Eren can’t see him when he finishes up in the bathroom. What the hell is he playing at right now? He wanted to get on Eren’s level, sure, but this? He’s toying with him, trying to get him fired, there’s no other reason he would be so  _ shameless. _

Every prediction, every calculation Reiner had made about the Angel had been wrong. The way Eren had kicked his legs up onto his lap in the car, the way he’d pushed him up against that tree in the forest, then saved him from that monster without a second thought. How he’d called him a  _ bitch _ twice, and threatened to eat him whole. He doesn’t want to think about it. He’s just here to get the job done. There really are no boxes in his paperwork to fill out for encounters like Eren Jaeger.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks so much for reading, we hope you enjoyed this first chapter and are excited to see what else we have planned! we appreciate all comments and feedback, hopefully we’ll see you soon for an update!  
> you can find us on twitter
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> sugarcinnamon: [@reinerheart](https://twitter.com/reinerheart)!  
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	2. hunter enters

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> very quick turnaround for a second chapter LOL
> 
> warning for some more fantasy violence in this chapter, little more graphic than last chapter but not extreme (i think??), please enjoy!!

Reiner’s mouth falls open, slack. Eren’s fingers are cool on his tongue as he slowly fucks them into his mouth, the wet slide of his digits catching on Reiner’s bottom lip. Reiner groans low in the back of his throat, closing his lips around Eren’s fingers, as though to hold them in his mouth for just a moment longer. 

Eren looks up at him, eye unreadable as ever, but he notices him furrow his brow as Reiner gives a tentative suck on his fingers. This seems to spur the Angel on further, as he runs his fingertips across the bottom row of his teeth. Then he pushes his fingers further down into the back of his throat, and Reiner chokes, sputtering for breath as his eyes fly open in shock. He struggles to inhale through his nose, squirming, his throat spasming around the intrusion. It hurts, and the lack of oxygen leaves him dizzy. Despite it all, he finds himself trying desperately to open up wider, to let Eren in deeper.

Eren’s fingers and thumb grip Reiner’s jaw, pressing at his teeth through his cheeks to keep his mouth open, fucking his fingers more incessently against his tongue and into the back of his throat. And Reiner tries to take it, he wants to take it, sucking around Eren’s fingers to show how much he wants it.

“You’re my bitch now,” Eren snickers, a wicked grin spreading across his lips. “Isn’t that right, Reiner.”

Reiner nods enthusiastically. Shame courses through his veins, hot, like molten lava. He wants this, he needs this. Eren’s fingers are lodging in the back of his throat and he moves his head up and down as he tries hard not to choke again. He doesn’t want to disappoint him, anyone, anymore. 

Suddenly, it feels like there’s ice around his neck. Eren moves his hand from where it’s trapping him against the door and snakes it up and over his collarbones to brush gently over Reiner’s throat—a threat. Reiner lets out a whimper at the suggestion, and Eren’s grin grows wider.

Then, everything goes still. Reiner cracks an eye open, saliva trickling down his chin as he pants around Eren’s fingers. It hits him: Eren is going to wait for him to ask for it. Maybe even beg for it, the promise of his fingers around his throat feeling like a collar made of ice.

Reiner gives in with a nod.

Eren’s hand squeezes, first gentle, almost tender. He resumes fucking his fingers in and out of Reiner’s mouth, choking him all the while, and Reiner’s eyes roll back into his skull as he lets out a muffled cry. His head thumps back against the door, but the dull ache is quickly overridden by Eren’s ministrations. His grip becomes harder, tighter around Reiner’s neck, and he’s starting to feel fuzzy, knees beginning to buckle from lack of air, the excess of pleasure— 

He awakens with a gasp, his own hand coming up to quickly grasp at his throat, pulling away at the invisible force that leaves him panting. He glances to his left, the sunlight only just beginning to filter in through the curtains. It must still be early in the morning. 

His muscles ache as he sits upright, running a hand through his hair and collecting the sweat that’s accumulated on his forehead. The images of Eren slamming him against the door, slipping his fingers inside of his mouth, rush back in a flood.

“Dammit,” he curses quietly, gripping his horns and allowing himself a brief tug. It’s been a long time since he’s had a dream like that, and of  _ Eren  _ of all people? It was like he couldn’t escape him even in the safety of his own mind.

His tongue feels heavy, the ghost of someone’s touch in his mouth lingering like the savory aftertaste of something bitter, salty. A tremble wracks his lips as Reiner lifts up a hand to touch them with his own fingers. If he closes his eyes, he can even smell the scent of smoke that wafted up from Eren’s own open mouth. Fuck, he’s got it bad. And as if it couldn’t get worse, he realises how hard he is. 

Maybe he could make it to the bathroom, take a shower and quickly rub one out. God, he’s disgusting. At least it’s early in the morning, Eren is probably still asleep.

At least, that’s what he thinks. 

As he swings his legs over the bed, tossing the sheets aside, his eyes scan across the nightstand, to the bed beside his own. There Eren is, propped up on one elbow, watching him like a hawk.

Reiner snatches at the bedsheet to save what little dignity he still has left, aware he just gave Eren a full view of his erection pathetically tenting his pajama bottoms. “What the fuck,” he stammers, heart beating in his chest at the shock of such an intrusion. 

“Is that how all Demons say good morning?” Eren snorts. Then he smirks. “You make cute noises in your sleep, Reiner.”

No. No  _ way _ Eren just heard Reiner moaning to a wet dream. 

Once again he finds himself praying that Eren doesn’t have a secret blessing that allows him to sneak into peoples’ dreams like some sleep paralysis  _ Angel.  _ Part of him hopelessly wants to believe Eren is just fucking with him, trying to get a rise out of him like he has been the whole time they’ve been together. 

“Need a hand?” Eren offers, hand creeping out from under his own sheets, wiggling his fingers in a flirtatious little wave.

Reiner knows he’s blushing and doesn’t even offer a response, almost afraid of what might come out if he dares to make the attempt. Still cloaked in his bedsheet, he stands, and makes a dash for the bathroom. He silences Eren’s not so subtle laughter with the lock of the bathroom door as he steals himself inside, hoping Eren won’t be waiting to accost him again when he finally strikes up the courage to emerge. 

  
  
  


Reiner vacates the bathroom a full thirty minutes later, hair washed and teeth brushed. He hadn’t meant to take so long, and at this point Eren probably is assuming he was jerking off the whole while. But in truth, Reiner was too embarrassed to show his face. Maybe he really should have resigned after all.

Eren is in the same spot as before, lounging on his bed, now scrolling on his phone. Reiner takes it as a blessing that he hasn’t chosen to harass him with any more stares.

Seems like the best course of action is to just continue on like nothing happened. If Reiner just acts like everything is fine, that he didn’t just make an absolute fool of himself in front of Eren, then everything will be perfectly alright. This is what Eren seems to do all the time, anyways, always pretending like the shit that comes out of his mouth isn’t inappropriate in the slightest.

“Are you ready to leave?” Reiner asks politely, packing away his things. By some miracle his voice is steady as he speaks.

Eren throws his covers off the bed, and they tumble to the floor in a wrinkled heap. “Whenever,” he clips, revealing he’s been fully dressed this whole time. 

Reiner can’t help but gawk slightly. Did Eren sleep like that, or had he changed his clothes while Reiner was in the bathroom just to mess with him? No matter how hard he tries he can’t get a read on the man.

He’s adjusting his tie around his neck when he hears the thump of footsteps from behind him. “Hurry up then,” Eren hums.

_ Oh, so now you want to get a move on,  _ Reiner almost hisses ruefully, tightening his tie with a little more force than what most would deem necessary. Where had this attitude been yesterday when he’d left Reiner waiting for almost an hour for him to show up to the cab? 

Reiner decides to ignore him, proceeding to strip his bed down for room service and folding up his clothes neatly to be put in his luggage. Eren is  _ not _ going to be bossing him around anymore, not today, not ever.

The two check out a few minutes later. Reiner isn’t really the type of guy who usually goes for breakfast, and he’s lucky that Eren isn’t either. He grabs a complimentary apple from the desk, handing back his keycard to the receptionist. Embarrassingly, she clocks Reiner’s single bag between the two of them, and hopes him and his  _ lover _ had a wonderful night. Reiner cringes, offering a smile that he’s sure looks more like a grimace and thanks her for their stay.

Their driver is already waiting in the taxi lane when they head outside. They hop in the car, driver taking his luggage, and settle down for the thirty minute drive back out of the city. 

“There’s a package back there for you Mr Braun, a replacement for your faulty equipment you gave me yesterday.” The driver’s voice drifts to the back of the cab, head forward, but his eyes catch Reiner’s in the rearview mirror. He tries not to think of the same interaction he’d had just twenty-four hours prior, when Eren insisted upon playing footsie. 

A small envelope is tucked into the pouch on the back of the drivers’ seat. Reiner takes it, noting the Divisions’ emblem stamped roughly on the front and carefully tears it open. Inside is another divining compass, a newer model than the one they were given yesterday, and a small note, handwritten on a piece of paper marked with the company’s letterhead. 

_ hope eren has been treating u well! dont let him push u around 2 much 8-) - ZJ _

Reiner typically is able to compose himself whenever it comes to Zeke, but he finds himself feeling positively livid. Firstly, the upgrade in technology doesn’t go unnoticed, and their failure yesterday now seemed inevitable. Reiner’s fine with a training day, an icebreaker, team bonding, but call it what it is. Secondly, Zeke’s passive aggressive tone, a remnant from times that he would leave post-it notes on Reiner’s desk saying, ‘ _ plz complete this by tmrrw 8-)’ _ paired with the smug, little smiley face scribbled at the end is the cherry on top of it all. 

Was Zeke trying to set him up? Mostly for failure, Reiner thinks, but also... with Eren? He wants to toss away the notion as soon as it enters his mind, but Reiner is no stranger to a tin foil hat. With the memories of the post-it notes comes the staff nights out. First round of drinks was always on Zeke, then you owe him your company for the rest of the night. There had been many misguided attempts from his now-boss, trying to set him up with their waitress, or another colleague before Reiner had to look him in the eyes and tell him he  _ Just Wasn’t Interested In Women.  _ Unfortunately, that just meant Zeke changed his target to everyone that wasn’t a woman, and continued his tirade to become Hell’s Worst Wingman. As if Reiner wasn’t being punished enough already with his demotion, the notion that Zeke wanted to ruin his personal life too was disheartening to say the least.

The bespectacled smiley face stares up at Reiner from the page as he crumples it up in his hand. He’ll make sure to get in a snide comment about Zeke's “relationship” with the Angel Corps manager next time he sees him. But first, he has to make sure he’s back in his boss’ good books before he makes any attempts at a joke, and to do that, he’ll have to complete his assignment. Reiner really is the only one taking any of this seriously.

  
  
  


After an hour or so of walking, they’ve made their way back to the same area they were in yesterday, the divining compass pointing them deeper and deeper into the crowded forest. They pass by the fallen branch and Reiner tries to suppress the blush creeping onto his cheeks, thinking of something disgusting to fend off any inappropriate thoughts. The corpse of the monster Eren took down yesterday should be coming up any moment, the road of destruction they caused running through the foliage clearly marking their path ahead.

They reach the small clearing, and Reiner recalls the image of the huge gelatinous mass they left behind—only it isn’t there. The patch of ground where the monster fell is still damp with the residue of its body, but it had obviously been scraped up, the forest floor distrubed, left clean. Reiner glances behind him noticing the smaller one had also been removed, and suddenly he feels on edge. 

He supposes another, larger creature could have come along and eaten the body, dragged it back to feed it’s little monster family, but the way the corpse had been removed looks way too methodical for the animal instinct of a hungry monster. 

Reiner looks to Eren, his gaze glancing around the trees, equally tentative as his partner. 

“Bounty Hunters,” Eren murmurs, quietly. “Watch out.”

Reiner rolls his eyes. The Hunter Guild is no big deal, really, they pick up the same kind of jobs as Angels and for the most part, stay out of a Demon’s business. It’s not as if humans are on bad terms with either group. 

Eren seems to sense what Reiner is thinking and laughs, hollow and sarcastic. “Don’t underestimate them.”

“I’m not,” protests Reiner. “I doubt we’ll run into any humans this deep in the woods, anyways. They’ve clearly already been here, collected their bounty, and are long gone by now.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure.” Eren’s still tense, listening to the forest around them. Reiner shifts his weight, stepping on a tree branch and Eren shoots him a look that tells him he’s not fucking around. 

As they progress further into the forest, Reiner notices deep claw marks slashed into some of the trees. Clearly, they’re meant to be used as markers for whoever left them, but the gashes are much deeper than the ones Reiner had made the day before. It’s hard to explain it, but it seems like whoever—or  _ whatever _ —left these marks behind was angry.

Suddenly, the forest floor rumbles, and the sound of an animalistic scream follows. Reiner glances down at the divining compass, whose needle is twitching rapidly. They must be on top of their destination by now.

Further up ahead, Reiner spots the source of all the noise. A huge, centipede-like creature is thrashing about, the chitter of its mandibles grating on Reiner’s ears. There’s a blur of movement, like something is darting around the monster.

“Oh, a human,” Reiner breathes. This monster must be a job they picked up, too. Whoever this person is, they have some guts; the monster Zeke assigned them to, a high-grade one, is nothing to scoff at. “Eren, let’s just leave this to them, they can handle this. I don’t think this is our actual target anyways.” Reiner turns toward his partner, only to find he’s stalking on towards the fight. Oh, why does Reiner even bother?

He picks up his pace to catch up with the Angel, tucking his clipboard under his arm. “Eren, wait, I’m serious,” he says, meaning to sound commanding and firm, but when it comes out it sounds more like he’s pleading. “We’ve already made enough extraneous kills. I’m sure whoever’s dealing with this thing can manage on their own.” 

Really, Reiner just isn’t interested in doing more paperwork if he doesn’t have to. He’s got no idea whether or not this human is actually capable of fending for themselves, but surely if they decided to take on such a powerful creature in the first place, they’d come properly prepared.

Eren actually stops for once, but he’s not looking at Reiner. A cry, a human one, catches Reiner’s attention, and he turns to see the Hunter take the impact of a swipe of the monster’s tail. He’s sent flying backwards, colliding with the trunk of a tree.

It seems that’s all it takes to convince Eren to leap into action. He darts away from Reiner and toward the creature without a word, and Reiner sighs. More paperwork it is, then. He closes his eyes and mutters a quick hex under his breath, carefully raising a weak boundary to seal them off from any outside intrusions. This way, hopefully no other stray monsters will be joining the fray.

From where he stands, Reiner sees Eren lifting a hand out toward the creature, before curling his fingers into a fist. At this, the monster screeches in agony, writhing as Eren’s shadows coil around it in violent embrace. Twisting and undulating, it manages to break free from his stronghold, making a dive for Eren. The Angel side steps away, narrowly dodging the creature as it crashes into the ground. He points a single finger down at the monster’s head, and an explosion of viscous, dark blue fluid follows. The end of its tail swings out towards Eren, who just barely manages to avoid the blow.

This seems to enrage the creature, and it springs forward again, wailing, opening its maws wide as if to try and swallow Eren whole. The Angel raises both hands, as if to make a clapping motion, but before he gets the chance, the centipede is slammed back into the ground in a flurry of movement. The human, who’d just been tossed aside earlier, now stands atop the creature’s neck. He raises his arms, and Reiner realizes he has what looks to be claws, before slicing through its flesh with a swift slash.

The creature lets out a high pitched wail, spasming beneath the Hunter as its fluids spurt out. Its movements slow, until it gives just the barest shiver, and right before it seems like the creature is about to give its final breath, there’s an awful crushing noise as its head implodes in on itself. Then, the monster lies still, dead.

Reiner turns his attention back to Eren whose hands are clapped together. Seems like he wanted the last word in the battle, for whatever reason.

The Hunter hops off from the monster’s body, wiping splatters of its blood from his jacket. Reiner hears him curse under his breath, and his eyes are smoldering as he looks up towards Eren. “Oh. I should have known an _Angel_ was behind all of this bullshit,” the human sneers, sharp, as he curls his lip up in disgust. 

“Yeah, you’re welcome.” Eren offers, voice monotone. 

“Angels really can’t stay away for five seconds; always need to swoop in and save the day, well I don’t need your _fucking_ _help._ ” the man bites out, spitting the blood in his mouth on the ground between them.

Reiner catches up, running over to the pair from where he stood, mentally noting down the events to recall later in his report. “Eren, stop running off,” his voice is tinged with annoyance, “are you alright?” but the second part of his sentence comes out with more concern than he anticipated. 

Reiner can see from his profile that the Angel has a cut on his cheek but it’s already beginning to steam and fizzle away. Eren is too focused on the man in front of him; he’s shorter than the both of them, the fur lapel of his bomber jacket rising and falling as he catches his breath. With a shake of his head he sends droplets of blue blood flying. He runs a hand through slicked back hair, then tugs at the collar of his shirt. There’s a flash of collarbones, and Reiner has to force himself to keep his eyes off the man’s chest. He studies his face instead, finding himself admiring the honey brown color of his, his black nose ring and the furrow of his brows. Reiner realizes the man is still glowering up at Eren, who’s staring right back.  They look like they're going to kill each other.

Reiner knew they should have left well enough alone, but now he’s left playing mediator in a boxing match he didn’t want to watch in the first place. The man looks him up and down, taking Reiner in from head to toe, eyes critical, almost scathing now that their argument had been interrupted. They make eye contact for just a heartbeat, and it almost seems like he’s going to say something to Reiner, before he snaps his attention back to Eren, like he’s not willing to give Reiner the time of day.

“Who is this  _ Demon? _ ” The venom in his tone as he says it almost makes Reiner feel ashamed, “your babysitter?” The Hunter barks out a laugh. Reiner almost winces. “You think you’ll be able to find your way home if I decide to take him with me?”

Reiner half-expects Eren to join in on the parade of insults, but instead he shoots back, “Why, are you in need of a babysitter? Because I think Reiner could actually do with the extra money right now,” and he has the audacity to scratch his chin, as though he’s genuinely considering it.

Reiner’s not in the mood for this public humiliation. He can tolerate it when they’re alone together, maybe he’s even starting to enjoy their weird banter, but he won’t let his role be reduced to  _ Professional Angel Minder _ . 

“We’re from the DA Alliance,” Reiner starts, switching his professional persona back on. “We’re just trying to fulfill our own mission, and it looks like we happened to cross paths here. I’m sorry, I told my partner not to get involved, so we’ll just be on our way now.” He offers the man a tight smile and a nod. He hasn’t forgotten about the babysitter comment, adding as an afterthought, “And I’m not—my services are not for sale.”

He moves to grab Eren by the arm and drag him away before things can escalate any further. “You never told me about your services,” Eren pouts. “Do you have a price list? How much for a b—”

Reiner almost growls in frustration, his grip on Eren’s arm tightens, and it’s meant to be a threat, but Eren just offers him a cocky grin, single eye hooded and dangerous. Oh, so now he’s back to toying with him. Whose side is he even on? 

“If you’re both done flirting,” the Hunter cuts in, looking very unamused, hands on his hips. Reiner feels himself flush with embarrassment as he clears his throat, suddenly feeling hoarse.

“ I’m sorry for his behavior ,” Reiner says apologetically, releasing Eren, who stuffs his hands back into his pockets. He has to cool things down, and fast. 

But the Hunter whirls on Reiner. “Don’t act all innocent. It’s your fault this guy’s gone wild killing off three different bounties, I had to clean up after him,” he spits, then folds his arms. “What a joke. You’re supposed to keep your damn  _ dog _ on a leash, you know.” 

The words sting, and Reiner almost double-takes at the vitriol. Just what is this guy’s issue with the two of them? Never before has Reiner met someone filled with so much disdain for Angels and Demons.

“Big talk for someone who almost got squashed like a bug two seconds ago,” Eren snaps back. The bitterness in his voice catches Reiner by surprise; he wasn’t expecting him to take any of his insults to heart. It’s the first time Reiner’s sensed genuine hostility in the Angel’s tone.

“Eren, let’s just leave. Clearly this man wants us out of his hair,” Reiner says slowly. He’s really not itching to stick around any longer. It doesn’t look like the three of them will be becoming best friends anytime soon. 

“I said I was  _ fine _ ,” the Hunter growls, ignoring Reiner. “I didn’t need your damn help, I was doing great on my own. And It’s not like I have to have someone to hold my hand, clearly that’s something  _ you’re _ in need of.”

The look in Eren’s eye is borderline murderous. “I’d say you were just a few seconds away from being killed.”

“And you just  _ had _ to come by to show off. Cool trick, what is that, blood magic?”

“I saved your life.”

“You were getting in my fucking way.”

“Please, enough, both of you,” Reiner throws his hands up. It’s like there’s an electric current running between the two, threatening to overload and explode. They’re both looking at him now, Eren’s gone stone still, and the Hunter’s eyebrows begin to furrow, as though he can’t fathom what he’s seeing.

Reiner feels the cool strands of something silken and sticky brush past his ear and begin to pool on his shoulder. He turns his head slowly, following the thick strands up through the trees. He can feel the compass in his pocket ticking away wildly, needle almost vibrating, indicating their proximity to their target. He’d been so focused on Eren, the Hunter, their fight with the insectile creature, and then with each other, that he failed to notice the enormous web above them. Draping from tree to tree, there’s a colossal lace canopy encasing the clearing like a dome. In the center, there lies the very monster they’d been searching for. 

He moves quickly, grabbing the silk with one hand, pulling down and using the momentum to turn in place. His other hand shoots out in front of him, muttering a defensive curse under his breath, as a ripple of energy emits from his palm. The monster gives them hardly a second longer to respond, dropping down from its web heading straight for the three of them before it collides with Reiner’s shield.

The barrier won’t hold for long, not when Reiner had so little time to react. He’s about to tell the two to get out of the way when the air is knocked out of his lungs. Eren has both Reiner and the Hunter in his arms as he dashes forward and away from their assailant, the barrier shattering just a second later. They crash and tumble across the floor, scattering leaves everywhere.

Reiner grunts, quickly rising to his feet. “Thanks,” he mumbles.

The Hunter has nothing to offer to Eren, shoving his arm away and standing. “Great,” he says with a roll of his eyes. “There’s no bounty out for this huge bastard…”

“No, this one is ours,” Reiner shakes his head. The giant spider, with its long, bristled limbs and thousands of glowing eyes glistening like wet glass beads, fit the description from the brief perfectly. It must have been here, this whole time; Reiner would have sensed its approach if it had breached the border he had set up earlier.

“I better get paid for this,” the Hunter snips. Clenching his fists hard, the shell of his armored claws shatter. He shakes his hands to rid them of their old shell, before both arms jolt with a practised ease, and new sharp talons replace his previously blunt ones.

“Let’s say you owe us one,” Reiner says, a little jokingly. Couldn’t hurt to try and lighten the mood one more time.

“Three, actually,” Eren quips, shooting Reiner a glance of approval.

“Whatever,” the Hunter growls begrudgingly, but he doesn’t voice any further disagreement. 

The monster shows no interest in joining their conversation, it rears up, displaying its gigantic pincers, venom bubbling up inside its jaws. Reiner has his hand up again, conjuring another temporary barrier. “Do you think you two could distract it, give me some time to make something more substantial?” 

For once, Eren seems to listen. He gives a curt nod, and Reiner doesn’t miss the way he eyes the Hunter warily.

The Hunter wastes no time, springing towards the monster, Eren right behind him. The two split from one another as the Angel faces the creature head on, the Hunter opting to take it on from the side. Reiner stays focused, fortifying the shield.

The Hunter is the first to strike, flitting around the spider’s limbs with lightning speed. Reiner’s impressed by his stamina and control, watching on as he slashes into the monster. The creature isn’t going down without a fight, though, stabbing at the ground and nearly impaling him.

Eren clasps his hands gently, and a cloak of shadows twist up and around the monster’s face. Effectively, this blocks its vision, and for a moment Reiner considers this a pretty clever move, before the creature furiously begins thrashing about, apparently  _ very _ pissed off about losing sight of its prey. The world around them shakes as it tumbles around, crashing into trees left and right, nearly crushing the Hunter flat.

“Fuck!!” the Hunter shouts, leaping high in the air and clinging onto a nearby tree to avoid the enraged monster. “Are you trying to murder me!?”

Eren actually snickers at this. “You’re fine,” is all he says. “You can go for the head now.”

The Hunter darts down from the tree, and with deadly precision makes a clean score to the monster’s face. Skidding across the floor, he bends his knees, ready to pounce and land another blow, but as he makes his move, the spider scrambles full speed ahead towards both him and Eren.

The two are forced to move out of the way, and as Eren unclasps his hands the shadows retreat from the creature’s eyes. It spots the Hunter, who’s closest, and he barely manages to roll out of the way as it snaps its jaws at him. As he recovers his balance he shoots Eren a positively murderous glare.

This is bad. Its movements are too erratic for either of them to get a handle on it. “Try going for its legs,” Reiner shouts, silently pleading for the both of them to stop whatever little competition they have going on.

Thankfully his prayers are answered, as the Hunter shoots up to hack at the nearest leg, leaving a deep rend at the base. One of the spider’s other limbs is raised, ready to strike, when it’s suddenly restrained by some invisible force. Eren has it in its grasp, and the Hunter takes the opportunity to make quick work of it as well. Shadows swarm around them, wrapping around its limbs to prevent it from lashing out. Though it’s not his first time seeing Eren in action, Reiner still finds his powers impressive.

In a flash, the Hunter sweeps around the creature, marking gaping wounds in the flesh where its limbs conjoin with the body. He’s about to reach the final leg, when he trips over something with a yelp and falls over face first.

“You  _ fucker,”  _ the Hunter snarls, rising to his knees, and Reiner realizes he’s been snagged by one of Eren’s shadows. 

Eren just gives a half-hearted shrug, and Reiner can just picture his shit-eating grin even as he faces away. God  _ dammit.  _ Eren can’t take his job seriously for even  _ one  _ second. 

Suddenly, the Hunter slashes at Eren’s shadows, and Reiner is shocked to see he cuts through them with ease, freeing himself. Eren stumbles back, as if he could actually feel the pain from the blow.

Suddenly screaming in pain, the arachnid shoots at them, aiming nowhere in particular, and its poison hits Reiner’s shield like rain against glass, running down to the forest floor, acid sizzling against the stray twigs and dead leaves. Reiner is still muttering his spell under his breath, but he doesn’t miss the flash of light as the monster’s toxin makes a crack in his defense. Not good, if these two don’t get it together soon they’re all going to be in trouble.

“HEY!!” Reiner yells, a pause in his mantra, “Can you stop fucking around and  _ actually kill this thing!!” _

The pair seem to respect his use of profanities, shooting a look towards him that refocuses their determination. They both make a beeline for the creature's body. The Hunter swings from leg to leg, making sharp incisions that leave the monster buckling under the strain of keeping itself upright. Eren runs too, pulling his fists through the air in a reverse punch, clenching his bloody hands at the apex of his swings, and shattering the spider's exoskeleton with a sickening crunch.

They clamber aboard the dismembered core, and Eren claps his hands together once more blinding their target in a whirlwind of shadow. The man sprints off towards the head, claws making a gaping wound down the centre of the monster’s back. Eren stands over the chasm of the undulating insides of the creature, eye closed, focused. 

The Hunter leaps off of the body, and Eren doesn’t even wait for the sound of his boots hitting the ground before he’s twisting his arms and hands in a rehearsed pattern, finally intertwining his fingers and clasping his palms together. Arachnean guts come spewing out from its back like a tidal wave, covering Eren’s boots in gore, and turning their surroundings into a bloodbath of eviscerated innards. 

The mass oozes across the ground stopping just short of where Reiner is crouched nearby. His breathing is heavy, finally bringing his hands down to his sides, sighing as he stands. With a final word he finishes off his hex, and a bubble envelopes the creature. It trills, but this time it’s out of fear, as the barrier begins to absorb the elemental energy it must have gorged upon months prior. Its life force is quickly drained, the fire in its eyes fading as Reiner makes short work of it. When the barrier dissipates, the remains of the spider-like monster are nothing but a withered heap of flesh and blood.

Reiner notices the Hunter traipsing towards him, not bothered too much that his shoes and the hems of his pants are stained with ichor and dirt. 

“You’ve got some skill,” Reiner smiles, glancing down at the man’s claws, already crumbling in his grip as he shakes them off. “I’ve never seen powers like that before.” He raises a hand for him to shake. “Reiner Braun.”

The Hunter peers up at Reiner with a raised brow, as if taken off guard by his politeness. There’s a hint of warmth in his eyes, but he averts his gaze quickly, before muttering quietly, “Galliard.” He lifts his own hand, about to return the gesture, but his attention turns elsewhere.

Eren is storming towards them, head lowered. His brows are set deep, and there’s a furious glint to his eye. That smoldering look returns to Galliard’s expression, and he leaves Reiner’s hand hanging pathetically. It almost reminds him of his first meeting with Eren, who had done the same, and Reiner wilts. This is not the kind of streak he wants to have going. 

Eren steps between the two, so close that his back is pressed against Reiner’s chest as he bites out, “what the fuck was that?”

Galliard is taken aback, “What do you mean,  _ what the fuck was that? _ ” His fists clench at his sides, eyebrows coming together, voice tumbling out with a hiss,  _ “you’re _ the one that tried to kill _ me _ back there!”

“Not my fault you were so slow,” the Angel retorts, cool nonchalance forgotten and Reiner can feel the anger radiating off him. He thought they made a good team in the end, they got the job done, so why was Eren so angry?

“Cut the bullshit. You were messing with me on purpose,” Galliard says, “Maybe you’d be able to see better if it weren’t for that stupid eyepatch—”

Eren goes still, quiet, not saying anything for a moment. Reiner nervously looks back and forth between the two of them. He’s never bothered to wonder what Eren’s eyepatch is all about; honestly he just assumed it was merely an edgy accessory to go with the rings and piercings.

Evidently, though, Eren does not take kindly to this jab from Galliard. When he finally speaks up, he leans down into the Hunter’s space. “I could turn you inside out without even blinking,” he murmurs, and it’s soft on Reiner’s ears, all the while carrying the cold threat of violence.

Galliard blinks, but he hardly seems miffed at all. “Really, can you even call it blinking with just one eye?” he says snidely. Smirking, he tilts his head up towards Eren’s, and they’re so close the tips of their noses almost brush, their piercings barely centimeters away from touching. “Do it then. I’d like to see you try.”

With that, Eren is raising his hand to his mouth, teeth bared as he prepares to bite into his thumb, while Galliard flexes his hand, claws unsheathing.

“Wait!” Reiner shoves his way in between them, grabbing Eren’s wrist in one hand and pushing gently at Galliard’s chest with the other. “It’s been really great working together, but I think it’s time we get going!”

Miraculously, both of them are still, and it’s silent. Reiner can hear both of their breathing, hot and heavy. Finally, Galliard shrugs Reiner’s hand off.

“You still owe me money for that bounty,” the Hunter huffs, refusing to look at Eren anymore.

Reiner tugs at his tie, biting his lips. “Uh, you’ll have to contact the Demon Division about that, I’m afraid. If you’re serious I can give you my card…” with trembling fingers he fishes out his card from his breast pocket. The tension between the three of them is killing Reiner, and he’s dying to get out of here, away from it all. He’d give anything to return to only having to deal with Eren’s weird stares and games of footsie if it meant they’d all calm down. He’s learning to handle that, but this...this is a whole new level of awkward that he isn’t prepared for.

“You’re offering me your number…?” Galliard scoffs as if he thinks Reiner’s kidding, but takes the card anyway, snatching it and stuffing it in his jacket pocket. He’s clearly trying to ease the tension, and offers Reiner a small smile he can’t help but return.

“Hey, Reiner, maybe we  _ should _ collect that bounty.” Eren’s free hand snakes around Reiner’s front, possessive, and Galliard can’t seem to tear his eyes away from where it settles on Reiner’s chest. “Do you think the Guild accepts work from Demons and Angels like us?” He’s looking past Reiner, straight at the Hunter. 

Reiner’s lost for words at the intimate touch, the tension in the air; all he manages to gasp out is a weak “that’s against company policy,” before Eren’s hand slides down to his hip, pulling him away from Galliard. His fingertips are cold as ever, iciness still seeping through his clothes. Reiner feels his brain short-circuiting as he tugs him further away.

“I thought I told you to lighten up,” Eren laughs easily, as though their heated exchange never happened, “just how tight is that ass of yours.”

Reiner’s eyes go wide. He can’t believe Eren really just said that in front of someone, practically a stranger; it’s like the whole office situation all over again. He glances back to the Hunter, cheeks bright red as he nudges Eren away from him. Galliard stares back, clearly dumbfounded at the situation. 

“Ah, well.” Reiner swallows. “A-anyways. I guess we’ll get going now. See you...?” And he’s got no idea if it’s a question or a statement. 

The last he sees of Galliard is a strange look in his eyes, one Reiner can’t decipher. It almost seems as if he wants to say something to him, but he just turns and walks away, fists stuffed back into his jacket pockets.

  
  
  


Eren is usually quiet on their car rides, but this time the air is different. He still has his leg pressed firmly against Reiner’s, but his gaze keeps flitting around the cab like he’s not quite sure what to do with himself. Even his earbuds, usually plugged in and blasting that strange music of his, lie unused across his shoulders, as if he had considered using them but decided against it.

Reiner can’t help but steal the occasional glance at his eyepatch. Back then, the Angel had clearly been offended by Galliard’s comment about it. Maybe it’s still bothering him.

“Eren…” He knocks his knee against the Angel’s to make sure he’s listening, “is there anything you want to get off your chest?”

Eren stays silent, turning to look at Reiner with that same old, unreadable expression. He’s chewing at the skin on the inside of his cheek, Reiner can tell, as if he’s not sure whether to say anything or not. In the two whole days they’ve spent together, Reiner still hasn’t gotten the chance to really know the Angel on a more personal level. He’s not fishing for details or gossip, but he knows that something is troubling him, his whole aura is just  _ wrong _ .

Eren looks towards the driver, and Reiner follows his gaze. Ah, maybe he doesn’t want anyone listening in on him. Not like Reiner really understands the degree to which Eren keeps his guard up, but something tells him he’s a very private person.

“Give us a minute?” Reiner says, catching the driver’s eyes in the mirror. He nods once, pressing a button on his dashboard and the light on the microphone in the back of the cab goes off. He slides the shutter separating the front and back seats closed, and turns his attention back to Eren. 

“Did you think it was just for show?” Eren asks simply.

Reiner blinks at him. A beat of silence passes between them, then Eren snorts, pointing a finger right at his eyepatch. Reiner chews at his lips, flustered. Eren must have caught him staring at it.

“You don’t have to tell me about it if you don’t want to…” Reiner says tentatively. “You just looked really angry back there, I got sort of,” how can he say this, “concerned?”

“I’m cursed.” Is all Eren says, “basically.”

If it weren’t for the circumstances, maybe Reiner would have laughed. It sounds like another one of Eren’s jokes, or a sentiment Reiner expressed to Bertholdt a few days ago, when he found out he was going to be working with the Angel, but something in Eren’s tone says he’s deadly serious. And he must be, if he was willing to use his powers on Galliard because of one or two bad jokes. Reiner almost shudders to imagine what would have transpired had he not stepped in.

“It’s no big deal,” Eren continues, and with a puff of air blows a strand of hair from his face. Somehow, Reiner doesn’t believe him at all. 

“I’m sorry anyways,” Reiner offers. “I’m sure he really didn’t mean anything by it. Galliard, I mean.”

Reiner half expects the Angel to scoff at that, but instead he sighs. “You’re right, it was fair game at the time. I overreacted.” Eren shrugs. Then, “I don’t want you to get into trouble because of me.”

Reiner is taken aback, the tips of his ears going red. From everything he’s heard and witnessed, it seems like that’s precisely what Eren has been trying to do from the beginning—cause trouble. And judging by his colleagues’ notes on the Angel, he had simply assumed Eren would be making an active effort to get him fired. Over and over, all everyone has to say about Eren is that all he’s out for is to cause people trouble. Only, now with what he’s telling him, Reiner’s not so sure.

It’s not exactly an apology, but Reiner can sense it’s what he means to say. He feels a slight tug in his chest and smiles to tell him he both accepts Eren’s regrets and that he should continue.

“Sorry, it’s ‘top secret’,” Eren says, raising his hands to mockingly make air quotations. “but since you’re my new partner, I suppose I could tell you a little…”

“You have a secret laser eye under there you’re not telling me about, Terminator?” Reiner laughs softly and this actually gets a small smile out of Eren, one that isn’t condescending or flirtatious.

“I did something a long time ago that landed me like this. Now I’ve got to live with it for the rest of my life, I guess,” Eren says with a shake of his head. He leans into his palm, elbow propped on the side of the car door. “I realised after that, working as an Angel isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.”

Reiner hums quietly in acknowledgement, although he’s not quite sure what Eren means by that. In any case, he knows now it means a lot to him. “Thank you. For telling me,” he says gently.

“Didn’t really tell you anything…” Eren shoots him an unreadable look. It seems like that’s all Reiner’s going to get out of the Angel, but it feels like it’s more than enough. It wasn’t the response he expected at all, and he feels his heart squeeze a little.

“Well, at least we get to go home and get paid now,” Reiner muses, the air in the cab lightening now that Eren has divulged what was on his mind. 

“You get commission for finishing a job before the deadline or something?” At this point, Eren must think Reiner cares more about the money than the job itself.

“Yeah,” Reiner laughs, “better to work hard and get it done fast.” 

“Mr. Braun likes it hard and fast, got it.” Eren smiles and for once Reiner can see his eye crinkle at the corner. 

“Not what I said,” Reiner mumbles, embarrassed as he looks away and out the window. He’s still not used to Eren’s flirtatious little comments.

Eren chuckles softly, and Reiner glances back at him. He can’t help but admire the way his lips curve up into that half-grin, how his hair drapes back over his nose as he shifts in his seat.

Reiner finds himself laughing, too, and they continue on their ride in comfortable silence, legs pressed together like always. 

  
  
  


“So glad to see you survived, Reiner,” Zeke says. He’s lighting up a cigarette and kicking his feet up on the desk.

Reiner and Eren had actually arrived to work at the same time this morning, as though Eren was milling around outside just waiting for him to show up, feeling too awkward to go into the office alone, but Reiner hadn’t questioned it. They’d rode the elevator together, not saying anything, but Reiner could feel Eren’s eye on him the whole time. They walked past the reception, into the already bustling office, and as soon as they pushed through the doors from the lobby it felt like all eyes were on them. Reiner looked down, an inexplicable blush ghosting his cheeks and the tips of his ears, avoiding people’s gaze as though everyone knew the intimate details of his trip with Eren. He made a beeline for Zeke’s office, while the Angel trailed behind him, a cool smile on his face, ego seemingly boosted by everyone’s staring. 

“How come you’re allowed to do that, and I’m not?” Eren pouts, crossing his arms and slumping back in his chair. He’d pulled out his own cigarette just a minute earlier, before Zeke yanked it from his fingertips and put it out. He’s staring almost longingly at its crushed remnants sitting in the ashtray.

“It’s my damn office,” Zeke smiles sarcastically, taking a drag. “Besides I only do it every once in a while.” He turns to Reiner. “I trust you have your report all ready to submit?”

Reiner pulls out the folder from under his arm, dropping it down on Zeke’s desk next to his feet. He spent a good few hours highlighting their second day, and all the events that took place. He didn’t lie about their encounter with the Hunter, Galliard, but he definitely stretched the truth. If the Division knew about how volatile the situation truly was, he knew it wouldn’t reflect well on him. 

“That’s a heavy one,” Zeke comments, the papers making an audible thud as they hit the table. “What did Eren do this time?” and he’s eyeing his brother suspiciously. 

Reiner casts a glance over to Eren. Quite a few things, actually, including sticking his fingers in his mouth, pinning him up against a tree, and humiliating him in front of a stranger. He still has no idea what all of that is about, and it’s absolutely maddening how fast his heart pounds when his mind wanders back to those memories.

He’d had another dream about Eren last night, after staying up late to finish off his report. Eren’s hand lingering on Reiner’s chest, another tight on his hip. He could feel Eren’s heart through his back and his cock hard against his ass. He was kissing his neck, sneaking glances over his shoulder, all while the Hunter they met that day stood there and watched, jealous anger enveloping him and Reiner had found himself wishing he would kiss him too. That was a new one for Reiner; he’s had awkward, sexual dreams about his colleagues before, but never strangers. Admittedly, he did find Galliard a little attractive, his sharp jawline and the heat in his gaze were nothing to scoff at, but still, it seems hardly appropriate to have wet dreams about  _ strangers. _ His only reprieve the morning after was the fact he didn’t have to worry about Eren catching him with another erection. 

“Nothing crazy,” Reiner clears his throat. It’s not really a lie, considering Eren hadn’t done anything like tearing down the whole forest, levelling it flat. After having first read his file it’s basically what Reiner expected would have happened.

At this, Zeke actually looks surprised. “Really?” he says slowly, eyes narrowing. The doubt in his tone leads Reiner to think the man was expecting him to be totally fucked over by now, and he holds back a grimace. He really does have no support from his own boss.

“I’m a good boy, right, Reiner?” Eren looks towards him expectantly and Reiner chokes.

“Eren’s abilities in the field are impressive,” he focuses his attention on Zeke, who simply raises his eyebrows and takes a sip of his coffee. 

“Good to hear you kept a handle on him,” clips Zeke, though he doesn’t sound very interested. “Seems like your partnership might actually work out!”

Reiner just coughs quietly at that. That settles it, this  _ bastard _ is definitely setting him up for failure. He’s basically telling Reiner to his face he expected him to quit!

“Is there anything you want to tell me about your trip then?” Zeke prods. “Any reason I’m going to be up all night reading this damn thing?” He gestures to the file with a raise of his chin.

“Just one major incident, Sir,” Reiner nods, looking down at his feet. “There were a few minor anomalies along the way, but on our final day we encountered a Bounty Hunter from the Guild.”

“Cause you any trouble?”

“No, we ended up working together, actually,” Reiner shakes his head. He hasn’t forgotten the way Eren and Galliard had come a hair’s breadth from trying to kill one another. “I know you don’t like us getting involved with Guild business, but it was a ‘right place, right time’ situation, Sir, and it worked in our favor.”

He hears a low snort come from Eren’s direction. Reiner just hopes and prays they won’t ever have to cross paths with Galliard again. It’s not that he dislikes the man—part of him is actually curious about him, his powers, why he’d chosen to take on such a dangerous mission alone—but he really wants to avoid risking another heated confrontation with him and Eren.

“Interesting,” Zeke replies, tone curious but guarded. He scratches at his beard, cigarette in hand, as though he’s pondering something. “Thorough as always, Reiner.”

Reiner’s “thank you, Sir.” earns another snicker from Eren and it’s making him self conscious all over again.

“Well, if that’s all, you’re dismissed, Braun,” Zeke gestures to Reiner, “I expect to see you both tomorrow morning for a new assignment, so make sure you’re on time. Eren,” he raises a brow at the Angel. “Stay with me for a minute.”

Reiner simply nods his head, catching Eren’s eye as he turns to leave. Eren blinks, but the speed of it makes it look more like a wink. If he could do that… He finds himself recalling Galliard’s question about Eren’s blinking capabilities. 

He pushes open the door to Zeke’s office and sees Jean and Historia waiting at his cubicle, heads bent and hunched over in a whispered discussion. They spot him, and their eyebrows shoot up, hurrying him over, no doubt desperate to know what happened in his absence. 

“You’re alive!” Jean exclaims, with suspicious enthusiasm. “I knew you’d make it back in one piece! I told you, Historia!”

“I believe I’m the one that told  _ you, _ ” The other Demon retorts.

Reiner doesn’t know whether he should feel touched by their concern, or scorned by their lack of faith. “Yeah, I’m alive. Somehow,” he says. He’s suddenly feeling a little confident: it’s true, he  _ did  _ just make it through two days with the one person feared by the entire Demon Division. His pride is very much justified, and he feels good about himself.

That is, until he spies Jean getting his wallet out of his back pocket, and Historia reaching inside her bag. Reiner frowns. Were they really— 

“You know what that means, pay up.” Historia sticks a hand out, wiggling her fingers.

“This is so humiliating,” Jean groans, placing a bill on her open palm. He ducks his head, like he can’t bear to look Reiner in the eyes.

“Humiliating for  _ you?!” _ Reiner gawps. “Were you placing bets on my  _ life?! _ ”

He seriously can’t believe this.

“Jean, I thought you believed in me…” Reiner's voice sounds genuinely hurt. This utter betrayal… he has no words.

“Of course I do!!” Jean begs, tone a few octaves higher than usual. He rubs the back of his neck, nervous. “We’re all happy to see you’re okay, I promise. We were all worried for you.”

At this point, Reiner hardly has any room to believe him, but Jean is speaking up again before he can respond. 

“Hey Bertl, get over here!” Jean projects over his shoulder. Reiner turns to see Bertholdt carrying a huge stack of files now jogging over to them before dumping the pile on Reiner’s desk, sighing as they slide and fall to the ground. Finally a friend he can trust.

“Reiner!!” Bertholdt’s voice is full of surprise, grasping Reiner by the shoulders and giving him a huge grin. 

“Hey,” Reiner smiles back, “You won’t believe what these guys—” but he stops midway through his sentence. Bertholdt is looking past him to Historia and his face falls.

“Please don’t take this personally...” the taller Demon says sheepishly, rummaging around his pocket for something. To Reiner’s horror, he pulls out his own wallet and hands Historia a crisply folded banknote.

“You…” Reiner’s shoulders are trembling. “You  _ traitor!”  _ And then he takes Bertholdt by the arms and starts shaking him.

“Reiner!! I said don’t take it personally! It’s just a bit of fun…”

“Does my life mean that little to you?! A measly  _ ten bucks! _ What if I  _ had _ died, would you all still be smiling and trading cash, going ‘poor Reiner, may he rest in peace, at least I have enough money to buy a boxed lunch’!?”

“We agreed we would put all bets into your funeral fund,” Jean says matter of factly. 

That’s it. 

“Jean, don’t expect me to cover for you next time Connie tries to kidnap a monster to keep as his personal pet. Historia, no one liked those muffins you brought into the office last holiday, everyone hates raisins. And  _ you—”  _ he spins toward Bertholdt with a point of his finger, jabbing it into his chest. “Annie is a  _ lesbian.  _ We’ve both been trying to tell you for ages now and I’m sorry you had to find out this way but it looks like the gentle approach just hasn’t been very effective!”

All three of them are staring at him with wide eyes. Reiner doesn’t care. It’s not like any of them give a shit about him, they brought all this upon themselves.

Suddenly there’s a resounding  _ SMACK _ , that echoes throughout the office, and Reiner practically jumps a foot in the air at the contact, an unexpected sting making itself known on his left asscheek. 

Instantly his face goes bright red, head whipping around in both directions, and he spies none other than Eren himself, waving the offending hand and wearing a devilish grin.

“See you tomorrow,” the Angel chimes, shoving his hands in his pockets and making his way back to the elevator.

As the elevator door slides shut with a single ‘ _ ding’,  _ Reiner is still staring after the man, frozen in place. Blinking, he surveys the now silent office and makes the sickening realization that, yet again, the whole office has been an audience to his humiliation at Eren’s hands— _ literally. _ They're all staring up again with inquisitive eyes, seemingly struck speechless.

“Alright,” and this time it’s Jean who breaks the silence, “Cough up.”

Reiner watches in disbelief as Historia and Bertholdt reach into their pockets again. 

“What...what are you doing,” Reiner asks mutely.

“This one was for whether you two would fuck,” Jean grins. “Uh, what was it, the classic two-people-one-bed hotel situation?”

“I  _ did not fuck him!”  _ Reiner wails, grasping at his hair in anguish. This is unbelievable!

There’s a creak of a door at the top of the room and they all turn towards Zeke’s office.

“Can you keep your voices down?” Their boss’ head peeks out from behind his door, a cigarette still hanging between his lips. “And watch your language.”

There’s a long pause, and Reiner can practically feel all eyes in the office on him once more. Then, Bertholdt pipes up. “Reiner, are you hurt?” he asks, as if he hadn’t heard him at all. He’s glancing down with concern at his ass. Oh, so  _ now _ he cares about Reiner’s condition.

“I am,” Reiner growls, “Never going to speak to any of you again.”

The mortification truly is never-ending for Reiner. He’s definitely going to have a word with Eren the next time he sees the damn Angel. Things couldn’t get much worse than this,  _ right? _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi everyone, thank you for reading, we hope you enjoyed reading this update, as much as we enjoyed writing it! round of applause for our resident bounty hunter!! the tone was a little more serious at the beginning but we tried to make up for it with something lighthearted towards the end. next chapter is going to be good fun so we hope you stick around <3 comments and feedback appreciated as always~
> 
> find us on twitter:
> 
> sugarcinnamon: [@reinerheart](https://twitter.com/reinerheart) with [concept art](https://twitter.com/reinerheart/status/1367919593595891714)  
> kaymono: [@windastur](https://twitter.com/windastur) with art for this chapter [here](https://twitter.com/windastur/status/1367918150826815490?s=20)
> 
> we now have some wonderful fanart done by [@jasakiarts](https://twitter.com/JasakiArts?s=20) on twitter of galliererei's interaction in the woods that you can see [here](https://twitter.com/JasakiArts/status/1370105814472519684?s=20), make sure to leave them a like ❤️


	3. a demon, an angel and a hunter walk into a bar

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> please note the new tags, you’ll wanna read this in a private place LMAO. this one is a long one so we hope you enjoy it!

To everyone, it’s no small feat that Reiner has made it through this long without calling it quits. And perhaps more astonishing is the fact Eren hasn’t demolished any towns or countrysides. Granted, they’ve hardly worked together for a few weeks, and the average duration of Eren’s past partnerships was about two to three months (although apparently one person quit after just eight days). Reiner’s hoping Eren isn’t waiting to spring something awful on him later. The Angel still disobeys him fairly frequently, killing monsters that should be left alone or claiming their divining compasses are busted. Finishing up paperwork takes hours on end for Reiner almost every night.

Strangely enough though, the Angel gives no indication that he’s eager to mess with Reiner beyond this—along with his games of staring or taking up his personal space. He’s still learning to deal with it.

Since their first trip to Utgard, Reiner’s interactions with Eren seem to follow a pattern: Eren shows up, guarded as always, Reiner tries lightening the mood with small talk or a discussion about their task of the day, which inevitably leads up to Eren’s hands on his shoulder, his arms, and one time, the inside of his thigh. Reiner had practically jumped out of his skin, and Eren laughed so hard that Reiner had to reason with himself the tug in his chest was simply from the physical contact alone. 

Reiner assumed the Angel was this way with everyone, a naturally touchy person, someone who had no concept of personal space, and was resigned to the fact he just wasn’t used to it yet. Still, he had to admit that Eren’s touch gave him reassurance that they were developing some kind of working friendship in the least, as unusual as it may sound.

This morning they have another briefing; Zeke seemed eager to share some ‘big news,’ as he put it. The Demon’s relationship with his boss had also been on the up these last few weeks. Their fast turnaround times, Eren’s skill, and Reiner’s thorough reports are definitely netting them some nods of approval from the higher-ups too, although the workload never seems to change. 

Being with Eren is never boring, though, Reiner concedes, always keeping him on his toes with his chaotic behaviour that rivals that of the fresh recruits he was in charge of for the last ten months. This meeting might be about reinstating his old position or perhaps even a return to his previous salary, and while Reiner doesn’t deny the prospect almost has him swooning, a tiny part of him hopes the change wouldn’t cost him his partnership with Eren. They just seemed to work well together, that was all.

Exiting the metro station to the multi-story highrise of the Demon Division, he spots Eren, dressed in his usual Angel Corps trench coat and black hooded sweater, milling around in the smoking area. Noticing Reiner’s approach, Eren crushes the butt of his cigarette into the top of one of the tall, silver trash cans.

“Morning,” Reiner greets him, “Just finished breakfast?”

Eren looks up at him, hair draped over his face, covering his eyepatch, and a smile twitches at the corner of his lips. He scans Reiner up and down, taking in all the details of his wardrobe; the tan brogues, cuffed navy slacks that wrap tightly around his thighs, and the crisp white shirt hugging his chest, complete with the usual tie and lanyard. “Actually, I’m still a little hungry.”

It’s true Reiner dressed up a bit today, remembering his boss’ comments about their meeting being about something important, but it’s not so different from his usual attire that it would cause others to take note. Yet here Eren is, examining him shamelessly; Reiner flushes. “Well we’re a little early, but if you wanna head upstairs, maybe we can grab a coffee?” 

Eren joins him at his side as they trudge up the stairs, a silent agreement. 

The lobby is basically deserted as they pass through, the front receptionist barely paying them any mind as they make their way to the elevator. As the two wait for it to arrive, Reiner can’t help stealing a few glances at the Angel to his side as the number indicating the floor level ticks down to zero. It’s not like he says much on any given day, but Eren seems particularly focused on something that Reiner either can’t see or doesn’t know about.

The ride up is quiet. Slouched over in the far corner, Eren is staring off into the distance like he’s deep in thought. Reiner keeps to himself, too; no use asking him if something’s on his mind this early in the morning, he’s learned.

They’re about to reach the floor to the office when Reiner feels himself pushed forward, colliding with the cool steel of the elevator wall. 

“Eren?” he squeaks out, throat impossibly tight as the Angel slots himself against his back. Eren perches his chin on his shoulder, and Reiner can feel his cold breath ghosting across his warm cheek.

Silence. Then, Reiner realizes he’s snuck an arm under his own, thumb pressed against one of the elevator buttons: the one that keeps the doors shut.

“Is this about that coffee I mentioned earlier?” Reiner laughs nervously.

Eren just hums. “What’s the big hurry? You said we’re early. We have plenty of time.”

_ Plenty of time for what?  _ Reiner wants to ask, but the words are trapped behind his pursed lips. The Angel presses him further into the wall, and Reiner hears the little chime of another button being pressed as the elevator begins to rise once more, away from their intended destination. Dammit, he’s playing games with him again.

The curve of Eren’s chest is tucked up tightly against Reiner’s shoulder blades, his chin still resting on his shoulder. The cold tip of his nose presses against the column of Reiner’s neck, and he almost whimpers at the icy sting of his nose stud as it brushes the line of his jaw. Slowly, Eren inhales. 

Reiner visibly shivers, instinctively pushing his hips back to meet Eren’s as he feels an arm wrap around his waist. He turns his head to glimpse at himself in the mirrored walls of the lift. His hands had come up to brace himself instinctively when he was pushed a moment ago, and now with Eren flush against his back, cheeks already a bright pink, the position he’s in is so obscene he groans and closes his eyes tight.

“You look so good,” Eren whispers against his neck. “I don’t usually eat in the mornings but I might make an exception today…”

Eren grips his hips, and Reiner’s suddenly being spun around, back against the doors. The Angel slides his hands up, pinning his wrists at the sides of his head so his chest is pushed out, buttons straining. Eren looks down, licking his lips and Reiner inhales sharply. The man never fails to make him feel like prey cornered by its predator, but this… he feels utterly trapped. His ability to keep his relationship with Eren professional is really being tested today. 

Eren tilts his head up, locking eyes with Reiner. He starts to lean forward, their noses brushing. The small height difference has Eren reaching up, pushing even more insistently against Reiner’s chest. The Angel’s weight has Reiner feeling like his heart is being crushed under the pressure, and he exhales with a tremor of trepidation. 

Reiner can barely take it. He shuts his eyes once more, pliant as Eren inches closer and closer. His lips parting in expectation, the familiar scent of tobacco invading his mouth, and— 

All at once, Reiner feels the elevator stop moving beneath his feet and a familiar  _ ding _ echoing in his ears. The doors begin to slide open behind him, and with Eren still pinning his arms, his whole weight leaning into him, they both stumble, flailing in open air, before falling onto the laminated floor of the top story lobby.

Reiner hits the ground with a grunt, and Eren manages to catch himself on all fours, practically straddling the Demon, hands caging him in. His long hair cascades down, just brushing against his cheek. There’s a cough, and Reiner tilts his head back, greeted with the upside down image of a very alarmed receptionist, staring aghast down at the both of them. Oh, god.

He scrambles out of Eren’s grasp, whose stiff posture seems to say he’s reluctant to let him escape despite their new and unwilling audience. Muttering a quick apology, he grabs Eren by the hood and drags him backwards through the open doors of the elevator. He wriggles out of Reiner’s restraint, standing beside him again, the two of them staring back at the woman behind the desk. Eren raises one hand to wave and smile sweetly as though nothing ever happened. Reiner just tucks his chin close to his chest, unable to bear the humiliation, jamming his finger against the ‘close door’ button over and over.

As soon as they close and the elevator begins to make its descent once again, they both turn to look at each other. Reiner wants to yell for the shame but he can’t stop the smile creeping onto his lips, noticing the Angel glancing down to his mouth before he mirrors a lopsided grin. Reiner tries to stop himself from giggling but he really can’t, mortification and giddiness both bubbling up in his throat as a full hearted laugh bursts out from his mouth. The hand he brings up to stifle it doesn’t do much good. Of course this makes Eren laugh, too, and he turns his face away in embarrassment. 

_ Dammit. _ Reiner’s not supposed to let this sort of thing happen, he  _ told _ himself he was going to keep it professional. Despite himself, he can’t help but entertain the thought as it passes through his mind. Was Eren going to kiss him? If he didn’t already live there, he would definitely be going to Hell for wanting this so badly. Reiner will have time to ask him about it after this meeting, if he’s feeling brave. 

They finally arrive at the correct floor, and by this time they are a little late. Reiner does his best to contain himself as they walk through the office to Zeke’s door, but the best he can manage is an obviously restrained smile, biting his lips trying to keep it together. People are most definitely staring as he bumps shoulders with Eren, walking side by side, and he just has to hope that the woman they encountered upstairs isn’t friendly with anyone from his department. 

Reiner manages to compose himself by the time he knocks at Zeke’s door, but Eren is already making his way in without permission. They take their usual seats opposite Zeke's, who’s leaning back in his chair as he begins.

“So! Eren, I’ve shared a few words with your manager back at the Angel Corps,” Zeke says, grinning from ear to ear.

At the mention of his own boss, Eren rolls his eye hard, like the image of the man makes him sick. “Uh huh. I’m sure you shared more than that.”

Zeke’s expression immediately falls flat and Reiner coughs awkwardly. The rumors about Zeke’s ‘relationship’ with the head of the Angel Corps is one that’s made the rounds. Reiner had actually been meaning to poke some fun at his boss about it, but Eren’s beaten him to the punch. He has to choke on his own laughter, knowing his possible promotion could be on the line here.

“As I was saying, I spoke to your manager,” Zeke continues, terse and clipped, “and we’ve both agreed the two of you have been doing an outstanding job lately. Personally, I’d say you’re actually putting everyone else here to shame.”

Reiner can’t help but glow at all the compliments. Really, he’s worked so hard to get to this point, he deserves to be a little pleased with himself! He chances a glance at Eren, and finds him looking off to the side as if feigning disinterest. The small smile playing on his lips isn’t as well hidden as he probably assumes it to be, though, and Reiner can’t help but feel a small tinge of pride for him, too.

“With that in mind, we’ve come to an agreement about something very recent and experimental,” Zeke says. Reiner straightens his back, bracing for the good news. “You’ll be spearheading a new little project of ours.”

Reiner blinks. What?

“I believe this decision will be very important in the development of both the company and our relationship with other third party organizations. Who else would be better to trial this collaboration than you two? You  _ are  _ our poster couple right now, after all,” Zeke chuckles like he just cracked a joke. Neither Eren or Reiner are laughing, though. Zeke clears his throat at the silence.

“Um, Sir,” Reiner carefully starts, “What exactly is this… project?”

“Over the last few months I’ve been in contact with Dr. Hange Zöe from the Bounty Hunters Guild, and following your first report a couple weeks back, we’ve decided you’re both the best candidates to take part in this all,” Zeke explains rather unhelpfully. When Eren and Reiner are again unresponsive, Zeke sighs. “You’re being assigned a human partner to work with. Starting today.”

They’re both silent, staring back at Zeke, unsure of how to proceed. To think, Reiner thought this meeting was going to result in some kind of promotional prize—this dream couldn’t be further from reality. Hasn’t he been disciplined enough for his actions already by having to deal with Eren and now  _ this? _

“Sir, with all due respect, the DA Alliance has never worked with humans before,” Reiner’s voice wavers as he speaks. Suddenly, he’s feeling dizzy.

“Precisely, precisely, very good Braun,” Zeke nods in agreement. “We just thought, ‘now’s a good time as ever, let’s just get started!’ No time like the present, right? Our first step towards striking some unity with humans, and you get to be the star of it all.”

Reiner can hardly see straight. He must look pale or something because Zeke shoots him a look of concern.

“Try not to think of this as another punishment, but as a reward, an acknowledgement for all your hard work! The both of you!” his boss throws his hands in the air animatedly, as if he’s excited.

_ Like hell I will!  _ Reiner almost cries. He’s been so diligent about Eren, the responsibility of managing Heaven’s biggest problem child, his own job and the reputation of not just himself but both Zeke and the company’s on the line, and now he has to be the lead of a project that’s core to developing relations with an  _ entirely new party? _

Reiner doesn’t know what to say, but luckily Eren speaks for him.

“Honestly, what the fuck, man.” Eren’s tone is tight, jaw clenched, defensive. “You can tell Ackerman I’m not doing this shit.”

“Enough, Eren.” Zeke stands up now, hands on his desk, looking down at the two of them, assertive. “You  _ are _ doing this and you’re going to go there right now. I’ve already booked a car and it’s outside waiting.”

The Angel looks like he wants to argue back, and if this was anywhere other than the workplace, Reiner’s sure this would escalate into a full on shouting match between the brothers, but he remembers Zeke’s words from a few weeks ago all too well—that after his partnership with Reiner, Eren won’t have any chances left. 

They truly are stuck.

“Listen, I just thought that, after reading your first report and everything, you two were the ideal fit for this job. Everyone else seemed to think so, too,” Zeke says, lips pulled into a thin line.

Right—Reiner’s first report. Their run in with Galliard, how he’d written about the way the three of them had all worked together. Admittedly, Reiner had spoken quite highly of the man. He can’t believe it’s coming back to bite him in the ass now.

Reiner looks at Eren in the corner of his eye, and finds he’s slumped back into his seat, arms crossed, brows knitted together in a cold scowl. He says nothing.

“I understand, Sir,” Reiner finally replies, deflating as he submits.

“Wonderful,” Zeke says. “Everyone here’s counting on you, I know you’ll do us proud.”

Eren is out of his seat and leaving the office before Reiner has even stood up. He shakes Zeke’s hand, a tense smile on his lips. He doesn’t want to leave them on bad terms, and he wants to demonstrate that he can handle Eren in this situation, just as well as in the field. 

Reiner runs a hand through his hair, collecting his bag from his cubicle on his way out, speeding up his usual strides to catch up with Eren, who is angrily pushing the down button on the elevator, as if it might arrive sooner the more he presses it. 

“Hey,” Jean bumps into Reiner, stopping him on his way to the elevator. “You two break up or what?”

“Huh?” Reiner blinks. “What are you talking about?”

Jean waves a hand in Eren’s direction. “Your little Angel over there looks like someone just spat in his coffee.”

Reiner turns from Jean to Eren, but he can’t see his face from here. Dammit, he doesn’t have time for this. “I dunno what you mean,” Reiner mumbles, and he gently pushes past his coworker to catch up with Eren.

“I’m gonna see you both later, right?” Jean raises his voice, yelling after him, but he's already halfway out the door. Reiner offers him another clueless look, too focused on the situation with Eren. “We’re going out, remember? You’re not getting out of this one. I’ll text you, and bring Jaeger along, too!!”

Reiner mutters a “right, yeah, see you then,” to Jean before he’s slipping into the elevator right as the doors close. Settling into the opposite corner to the Angel, Reiner realizes this is the first time Eren hasn’t made a scene upon leaving.

  
  
  


Dr. Hange is waiting at the door for them when they arrive. They’re already running toward them as their car rolls up to the curb, pulling open the door like a practised valet. 

“Good morning, good morning!” They sing-song, hardly waiting for Reiner to step onto the pavement before gripping his hand, shaking it with ferocious enthusiasm. Their strength takes him off guard and he almost falls backward into the car. “I’m Dr. Hange Zöe, but you can just call me Hange! So excited to meet you both, I’ve heard  _ so _ many great things about you!”

“Pleased to meet you, too,” Reiner says, covertly massaging his wrist as they release him. “Reiner Braun.”

Hange runs to the other side of the car, presumably eager to shake hands with Eren as well. He steps out of the car, unwillingly caught up in one of Hange’s fervent handshakes. “You must be Eren Jaeger,” Hange says, and they begin wagging their finger between the two of them, gesturing to both their eyepatches. “Well,  _ one of us _ is going to have to change.” Eren is dead silent. 

Reiner takes a moment to survey the facade of the Guild headquarters: it’s modest in size, a mismatch of architecture styles, from Palladian to Baroque, the building’s surroundings much older than the shining metropolis Reiner frequents every day. Stone steps lead up to the heavy wooden door, framed by pillars on either side, a worn brass name plate to the right, displaying the Guild’s name and house number.

“Come on, lots to see! I take it this is your first time here?” Hange is scurrying back over to Reiner, waving for him to follow. 

Reiner nods; he’s always been too busy to sightsee. Maybe Eren has been here? He turns to ask the Angel, but finds his gaze is downcast as he kicks at a pebble, sending it flying a fair distance. 

The whole car ride over Eren was in a mood. He didn’t even bother pressing his leg against Reiner’s and that’s how he knew something was very wrong. Was he really that upset that they were going to be working with a human, or was it the fact that someone else was being forced into their arrangement? Reiner had no idea, and no clue how he could ask Eren about it. 

Hange ushers them through the tiled entrance way, the walls adorned with frames displaying photos of Hunters past and present, proudly showing off their kills like prized fish. From insectoids, to avians, to reptilians and mammalians, it seems like they have something from every corner of the world.

“I’m sure you know this, but the Hunters’ Guild has a very prestigious history! Our foundation dates back centuries, back then we were hardly a handful of like-minded scientists and theorists. And here we are now, new and improved!” Hange beams proudly, leading them through a series of maze-like corridors. They continue on to describe the history of how Hell, Heaven, and Earth collided, the way humans were blessed with Gifts as well as the unfortunate problem of monsters—all things Reiner has heard long ago from history lectures in his days of academics.

“The Guild aims to utilize human bloodlines with only the most unique of Gifts, and use them to humanity’s advantage—Oh! I just have to get something, hold on,” Hange stops abruptly, pushing through one of the doors in this seemingly never ending hallway. 

Reiner peers inside, curiosity getting the better of him. There’s a woman with dark, tangled hair sat at a desk, crutches propped up on the wall next to her. “Pieck, do you have that file I requested?”

The woman—Pieck—looks up from her computer, expression warm and soft as she spies Hange. “Of course, right here,” she says tiredly, as though she were on the brink of a yawn. She motions to a manila folder labeled ‘D.A.H.A. BRIEF.’

Hange grabs the file with a quick “thanks,” jogging back to Reiner’s side. What was the rush? “Let’s continue, shall we?”

Their little tour proceeds, and Reiner can’t help but notice how far Eren is lagging behind. He badly wants to grab his hand, pull him aside to see what’s bothering him, but the end of Hange’s speech seems nowhere in sight.

“I’m sure Mr. Zeke already explained what our goal is here, but we hope that by working together, we can both improve efficiency and strategy in regards to monsters and the like. The future of our little Guild rests on your shoulders,” Hange babbles excitedly, pushing their glasses up their nose, “and maybe while you’re here, you’ll even let me take a look under the hood, Mr. Braun; I’m so curious about what makes Demons so different from Angels.”

That takes Reiner by surprise, and he tugs at his collar in embarrassment. “I, um—I’m sure there’s not much that separates us,” he says with a small laugh. He looks to Eren, hoping he might give one of his usual snickers or throw him a sleazy grin, but the Angel’s face is blank. 

Hange looks him up and down, an electrified look in their eyes, like a mortician about to get their hands on a fresh cadaver. Reiner finds himself covering his chest with his hands instinctively. 

“Well, I have to tell you, I’m so excited for you to get acquainted with your new partner,” Hange smiles back sweetly, breaking the strange tension they created just before.

“Do you mind if I ask their name?” Reiner swallows.

God, he hopes with all his might the name that’s about to come out of Hange’s mouth is anything  _ but _ Galliard’s. Eren’s already in a foul mood as it is already; Reiner has no idea how he’d be able to handle him seeing the Hunter he seemed to despise so much. 

“His name is Porco! He’s one of our best!”

Reiner lets out a sigh of relief. “Looking forward to meeting him, then,” he says, feeling himself perk up a bit. Maybe miracles really can happen. 

One or two more twists around corners, and finally they’re at their destination. If it weren’t for their guide, Reiner’s not sure he would be able to find his own way out of here. He might have to ask Eren to use his  _ ‘Angels’ intuition’ _ to get them out of this one, should Hange disappear.

“And that’s all for our humble little headquarters,” Hange concludes, hands on their hips. “Porco, the cavalry has arrived, you can come out to say hi now!” They yell over their shoulder towards a closed door.

The door handle jostles, and Hange hands the brief to Reiner. “Everything you need to know about is in here. Happy to answer any questions you have later!”

Then, as the door swings open wide, Hange steps to the side. Reiner looks up, and his heart stops cold.

“No  _ way.” _

It’s Galliard. He’s frozen in place beneath the doorway, clad in that same bomber jacket from before, hair slicked back and eyes wide. Reiner feels like he’s just been struck by lightning, paralyzed.

“I thought you all knew each other?” Hange frowns, this was clearly not going the way they planned.

“We do…” Reiner admits, tense, unable to stop himself looking between Galliard and Eren. Already, there’s a spark of apprehension forming between them. “Only we didn’t part on the best of terms…”

“Then this is the perfect time to make up! I’ll be a few doors down if you need me,” they smile, then consider something for a moment. “Or if I hear screaming, I’ll come to you. See ya!”

The sound of Hange’s footsteps echo around the hallway, fading away until the three stand in silence. No one moves. Then Reiner hears Eren snort from behind him.

_ “Porco.  _ Really? Who called you that, the butcher?” the Angel sneers.

Oh, this is  _ not _ off to a good start.

Instantly, Porco’s shoulders stiffen. “What is this all about?” he demands, though Reiner doesn’t know if he’s speaking to himself or Eren.

“I—I thought your name was Galliard?” Reiner offers helplessly.

“It’s  _ Porco Galliard!”  _ Porco snaps, as if it were common knowledge. 

Eren sniffs, his practiced cocky tone coming out smooth and mocking. “I can make you squeal if you like, little  _ piggy _ —”

Porco gnashes his teeth. “No, I am  _ not _ doing this,” he grits out, stomping right past Reiner. “Where’s Hange, I’m telling them I quit—”

“Wait!” Reiner pleads, and before he can think he’s grabbing onto his arm. He flashes Eren a helpless look, praying  _ please just don't say anything else.  _ Porco whirls on him. 

“Is this what you wanted when you gave me your card?” he turns his attention to Reiner, stepping into his space and looking up at him through furrowed brows. “I never would have given your name to Hange if I knew it meant ever seeing you two again.”

“Oh, so this is  _ your _ fault.” Eren’s gaze is glacial. It’s that same look he had before, the one he wore when he seemed ready to kill the Hunter.

_ “My _ fault?” Porco sputters in disbelief.

“If you’d kept your mouth shut, none of us would be here—”

“Eren,” Reiner cuts in firmly. “It’s not his fault.” Porco looks back up to Reiner, brow crooked up inquisitively. 

“You want me to blame you instead?” Eren scoffs. Oh, so  _ this  _ is what his mood was all about? Eren is angry at him for praising Porco in his first report, like he knew it would end up with them meeting him here today?

“That’s not what I’m saying.” Reiner shakes his head. Guiltily, he looks Porco in the eyes. “I also mentioned your name, Galliard, in the report I turned in from back then. We’re here because of the both of us.”

There’s a pause before Porco mutters, “I’m still not doing this.” 

“Please,” Reiner can’t believe he’s actually willing to beg for this and he tries to sound as authoritative as possible. “We need you, Galli— _ Porco _ , you don’t know how much the DA are relying on this trial partnership. If it doesn’t work out, then we can report back to our bosses and never see each other again, okay?” 

As much as Reiner is saying this to Porco, he’s also expressing himself to Eren. He makes eye contact, only to find Eren is looking at him with a slight vulnerability, and while he can’t quite read what it means, it touches Reiner’s heart somehow. 

Porco glares down at the floor. Unable to see his face, Reiner has no idea what’s going through his mind, but he hopes he’ll at least consider the offer.

But he’s shrugging off Reiner’s hand. Wordlessly, he starts off and away. Reiner can only watch helplessly as he shoves past Eren. Quick, say something,  _ anything—  _

_ “Pussy. _ ”

It’s said in a whisper, but Reiner catches it clear as day. Horrified, he finds Eren wearing his signature shit-eating grin.

Oh, no.

Porco swivels on heel, and in a blink of an eye is yanking Eren down by the collar of his jacket. “What the  _ fuck _ did you just say?”

Eren brings his hands up in a plea of innocence. He tilts his head and his halo catches the light shining through the window. Ironic. “I didn’t say anything. Did I say something, Reiner?” he hums calmly. He casts a look toward Reiner, smiling. Porco whips his head to face him, too, and now they’re both looking at him with such intensity that Reiner has to suppress a blush. Now is not the time.

“I—” Reiner chokes out. There’s no winning here: yes, he  _ definitely _ heard Eren call Porco a ‘pussy’ just now, he’d be lying if he said no. But if he  _ does _ tell Porco this, the two might just destroy the headquarters right here and now. 

Zeke and Hange’s words flash through his mind again:  _ “our first step towards striking some unity with humans!” _ and  _ “the future of our little Guild rests on your shoulders!”  _ Groaning, he grits his teeth. “We are giving this a shot, whether you like it or not. Grow up, the both of you, and start getting comfortable with one another because this  _ is  _ happening.”

This is not the answer either Eren or Porco seemed to expect. They stare at him, like a pair of deer in headlights. 

“Think you can handle the both of us at once, Reiner?” Eren recovers, putting an arm around Porco’s shoulder in a sudden change of heart. It’s obviously flirtatious but the usual intent visible in his eye isn’t there.

Porco does not look thrilled in the slightest. “Whatever,” he grunts, elbowing the Angel away, but he stays put, eyes darting up for just a heartbeat to meet Reiner’s.

Reiner sighs. He’s won, but somehow all he feels is the hollow pang of defeat. The road ahead of them is going to be a long one for sure. 

  
  
  


They decide to settle down in the meeting room Porco was waiting in earlier, going over the brief that was handed to them by Hange. Eren and Porco are opposite of one another, Eren slouched back in one of the chairs while Porco leans against a wall. They say nothing as Reiner reads the file aloud. 

Luckily, they wouldn’t be getting started until after the weekend, so they have some time to prepare before diving right in. Reiner wants to get some time alone to try and come up with a plan to get all of them working together peacefully. If only there was some time to get to know one another before their mission... 

They finish up, deciding on a meeting time and place, and Porco is all but ready to run from the room, only Reiner is quick to take him by the hand, gentle but firm. “Porco, before you go,” he starts, and the Hunter stops, turning to look at him. “We’re going out for drinks tonight, and I’d really love for you to come, too. You know, get to know one another...” he trails off, desperately trying to come up with a way to sell this all to him. 

Porco’s eyes narrow in suspicion. “With just you two?” he questions, glancing sideways at Eren. “I’d rather not be your third wheel, but thanks.”

“No, no, my coworkers will be there, too!” Reiner corrects him quickly, brushing aside the Hunter’s incriminating comment. Without even realizing, he gives Porco’s hand a soft squeeze. “It’ll be fun—I think you’ll enjoy yourself. There’ll be a few Angels...” Porco’s face twists up in a half-grimace. Reiner hurries to add, “and someone said something about other Guild members coming along too, so you won’t be the odd-human-out, I promise.”

Porco stares down at his hand in Reiner’s, refusing to meet his gaze, and the Demon thinks he spots the natural pink tinge of his nose spread further across his cheeks, but it’s probably just the change in lighting. He takes this as silent approval.

“Great, I’ll see you there,” Reiner grins warmly. He pulls another business card from his pocket, this time scribbling his personal number down on the back, before handing it to Porco.

Porco mutters a quiet affirmation, burying the note away in one of his pockets. “See you,” he grumbles, and with that, is out the door.

Reiner’s left with Eren, then.  _ Finally, some alone time,  _ he thinks, smiling to himself. Turning his head, he’s ready to ask Eren what’s on his mind, maybe give him a little scolding, but before he gets a chance, he’s already up and out of his seat, walking out of the room and presumably back down to the car. Reiner’s sat alone in the meeting room.

“ _ Shit _ ,” he breathes out. There’s still time to ask him about it later.

  
  
  


“Table for Reiss?”

The hostess looks up at Reiner, before leading him off to the side where his coworkers are waving him over. Bertholdt, Historia and Jean sit together at the booth, still in their work uniform obviously having come straight here together. 

“Come on, slowpoke, what happened to being on time for everything?” Jean teases him.

“I’m barely a minute late.” Reiner rolls his eyes after a glance at his watch. It’s a Friday night, and the train was especially busy as usual. After his meeting with Eren and Porco earlier he barely had time to go home, take a quick shower and put on a clean shirt.

Historia is the one who’d chosen tonight’s destination; a bar she apparently frequents with Ymir after missions. Demons, Angels, and humans alike all fill the room, the atmosphere warm and cozy from the low hum of conversation.

“So, how was your date?” Jean is leaning forward, hand on his chin, pouring Reiner a beer and finishing off the pitcher they ordered for the table. 

Reiner scoffs, “Exhausting.” He takes the glass from his colleague, without so much of a thanks, tipping it back in one go.

“That bad?” Historia laughs.

“Can we just get some more drinks? I don’t want to think about it right now. I don’t want to think, period,” Reiner groans, setting his now empty glass back on the table. The crushing weight of responsibility is too much for Reiner to handle right now. “I invited them both here tonight, so we’ll see how that goes.”

Reiner remembers the awkward conversation he had with the Angel on the car ride back. If you could even call it that. Just as he’d brought the topic up about going out, Eren had muttered a quick, non-committal “sure, I guess,” and that was that. 

“Well if Jaeger’s going to be here then we better start drinking now,” Jean declares, drumming his hands on the table, wriggling out of the booth to go up to the bar. 

As they wait, Bertholdt talks about the backlog of files Zeke had dumped on his desk this morning, wanting him to collate data about certain categories of monster appearances and the location they’re usually found. Historia comforts him from across the table, basically laying her body across the surface to even reach his arm.

Their boss is absent tonight; the Demon has a stomach of steel, and without fail, out-drinks each and every one of them. He’d mentioned he felt he was “done babysitting for the day” but promised he would make an appearance next time.

“Look who we found moping around outside like a lost little puppy.” Ymir is diving right into the booth, stepping over Reiner and clambering over to Historia’s side. He just grunts as she nearly elbows him square in the jaw, maneuvering until she can give her girlfriend a firm kiss on the lips. “Sorry, Reiner,” she giggles, wholly unapologetic, before motioning to the side.

Connie and Sasha—the two Angels Jean manages—are right behind her, carrying several more pitchers of beer, a handful of stacked glasses, and a fishbowl of something alarmingly blue.

“What the hell is that,” Reiner groans as Jean places it down on the table in front of him.

“I dunno,” Jean replies, “I just saw the ‘45% alcohol’ mark on the menu and said ‘gimme one of those!’”

“Hello, Earth to Reiner, your puppy’s here! I brought him in just for you. Looked like he was gonna catch a cold, poor thing.” Ymir knocks into him. “Thank me later.”

Reiner frowns, looking up—he doesn’t have any pets. Or does he? There Eren is, though, and it’s the first time he’s ever seen the man in anything other than his Angel Corps coat and that hoodie of his. It should be nothing special, just a pair of black jeans and a loose fitting t-shirt, but the way the raw hems have been cut at an angle, showing how his toned biceps roll as he takes off his jacket, and the slight peek of tan skin just above his waistband as he stretches to put it on a peg behind the table—Reiner has to force a greeting out of his mouth.

“Hey,” he says quietly, suddenly struggling for words.

Eren breathes out through his nose. “Hey,” he echoes.

It occurs to Reiner that his coworkers have all gone tense. Though none of them stare at Eren, it’s clear there’s some apprehension over the prospect of the Angel sharing a space with them. To Reiner, it’s not a big deal, he’d like to think he knows a decent bit on what Eren is like, and more than that, trusts him, but he realizes all the rumors and gossip must be fresh on their minds now.

“Oh, come on, lighten up you guys. Eren’s not going to set fire to this place or anything.” Ymir catches on to their hesitation. She quirks her lip to the side. “Well, I mean I’m sure he could if he wanted to. But that’s beside the point. Sit down, sit down,” she corrects herself, then pats at one of the empty seats invitingly.

Reiner scoots over, expecting the Angel to sit next to him, and he can’t help but wilt slightly when all he does is drag a spare chair over to sit at the end. Maybe he just wants to give the other Demons some space?

So his shuffling doesn’t look completely awkward, he takes his phone out of his pocket, pressing his finger to the home button to check for notifications. Nothing. He was expecting a message from Porco by this time, at least replying to the address he’d sent earlier, but no such luck. He chews at his bottom lip—hopefully he wasn’t going to bail on him.

“You, too, Annie,” Ymir whinges, clearly annoyed by her colleagues’ lack of enthusiasm. 

“I’m waiting for my date,” the blonde Angel says bluntly, refusing to sit. Ymir sticks her tongue out at her, mumbling a “you guys suck” under her breath before leaning back into Historia.

Reiner can’t help but notice how Bertholdt looks a little dejected at that. He regrets erupting in front of him when he found out they were placing bets on his life, but at least he was finally getting over his eternally unrequited crush. 

Annie seems to notice too, glancing at Reiner in a greeting, only to look back at Bertholdt a little sheepishly. “She’s bringing a friend,” she offers. “For you.” and her partner seems to flush a little.

“What? Why didn’t you tell me!” he flounders, suddenly stretching to catch his reflection in the mirrored wall opposite, “I would have changed or something!”

“Because I knew you’d freak out like this.” Annie sighs, but there’s a smile on her lips. “Chill out, okay? He’s… just your type.” 

She doesn’t elaborate any further, but Jean laughs as Annie turns back towards the door at the sound of its opening, eyes lighting up as two people—both clearly humans, lacking in horns and halos—make their way inside. She walks over cooly, stretching a hand out for the dark haired woman as they make their way back to the table. Her date is noticeably taller than her, shoulders broad, beautiful, wearing a red sweater with a low cut front. 

Following behind them is a man with hair the same color as Annie’s, bangs at the front and an undercut up the back. He’s short, but unquestionably cute, Reiner considers, rounded glasses perched on his button nose. Yes, Annie was pretty spot on—this guy’s definitely Bertholdt’s type. 

“This is my girlfriend, Mikasa,” Annie gestures, and the woman waves, “and this is her friend, Armin.” The other human waves too.

With that, Mikasa and Annie instantly make a beeline for the bar, abandoning Armin. Obviously they want to spend some alone time together first, but they give a quick promise to come back with a round or two of shots.

The table is pretty crowded by this point, Reiner and Bertholdt sat at opposite ends of the U-shaped booth, and Reiner purposely spreads his legs a little wider, so the only choice of seat Armin has is next to Bertholdt.

“Um, do you mind if I sit here?” he asks, scratching at the back of his head nervously, and Bertholdt practically throws his bag on the floor to make space for the man.

“Not at all,” he coughs, blushing slightly as they settle in next to each other, and Reiner can’t help but smile seeing how obviously flustered the pair are.

Connie is making sure everyone has a full glass, and it’s not long before Mikasa and Annie return, a tray in each of their hands, disposable shot glasses filled up with a clear, mystery poison.

“That’s everyone, right? What are we waiting for, let’s get started, I’m thirsty!” Sasha pumps a fist in the air, halo bobbing up and down at the movement. She doesn’t wait for anyone’s approval before gulping down a glass of beer.

Reiner grips his phone nervously.  _ Not everyone, _ he thinks to himself. Still nothing from Porco. He’s not giving up hope yet; surely he’ll turn up soon.

“Never have I ever! Never have I ever!!” Connie pipes up, waving a glass of some unknown liquid around. “Who’s starting?”

The Demons all groan, Reiner included. “We did this last time, can’t we just talk and drink like adults?” Jean complains.

“You Demons are so uptight! Loosen up already,” Ymir demands, pounding her fist against the table. Sasha hums in agreement from behind her near-empty glass.

Historia laughs. “Maybe just a few rounds...”

“You’re just upset ‘cause you never get drunk playing,” Ymir accuses. “Even when you’re drinking practically every round!”

“Fine, let’s just get it over with then,” Jean gives in with a roll of his eyes. He seems eager to capitalize on any excuse to start drinking. “Um, never have I ever… kissed someone at this table before.”

This elicits a few murmurs and whispers. Historia and Ymir are the first to knock back their shots, practically in sync, Mikasa, Annie following, then Connie and Sasha smirk at each other before taking a drink themselves. 

“Jean, I can’t believe you’ve never kissed anyone at this table,” Connie says, shaking his head in disbelief. “Time to fix that!” is all he says before grabbing Jean by both cheeks and planting a kiss firmly on his lips, and the Demon never stood a chance at defending himself. His eyes are open wide, and Connie is handing him a shot, a huge grin on his face.

“I’m pretty sure that’s not how you play this game,” Mikasa comments, and there’s a pause, before everyone bursts into laughter, even Jean, and Connie just shrugs looking pleased with himself. 

Reiner and Bertholdt’s gazes meet through the laughter of the table, and they both shrink in on themselves, tentatively reaching into the middle of the table to grab a shot before downing them at the same time. This does not go unnoticed by everyone else. A collective ‘ _ ooooooo _ ’ rises from their friends.

“Okay, spill,” Sasha glances between the two of them, eyes wide with shock. “I’ll drink this whole fishbowl if I have to.”

It’s Bertholdt that sighs, glancing nervously at Armin who is looking up at him intensely, sipping his drink through a straw. “It was before we started working at the Division, basically when we were still at the Academy. It’s not a big deal… we just dated for a while and we’re best friends now so let's just forget about it!”

“Yeah,” Reiner laughs, trying to ease the tension, “That was ages ago, I haven’t kissed anyone in...” Reiner’s eyes are roaming the room until they find Eren. Their little scene from that morning flits before his eyes: Eren leaning into him, pinning him down. Reiner’s lips begin to tingle. Eren is staring right back at him, and Reiner can’t help but wonder if he’s thinking the same thing, his own shot glass untouched, fingertips lingering just over the rim. “In a long time,” he finishes, coughing.

“What’s this about kissing?”

Everyone turns at the voice, trying to see who’s joined them. Porco stands there, hands in his pockets, a sheepish smile on his face. “Sorry I’m late…”

“This is Porco, everyone.” Reiner stands awkwardly. “He’s um, going to be working with Eren and me starting today.”

At the mention of Eren, Porco is glancing over at the Angel. After a moment, he’s shucking his own jacket off his shoulders, tossing it aside, and now the both of them are dressed down to their t-shirts. Reiner’s throat is dry. The muscle of the Hunter’s arms are more defined than he imagined they would be, the curve of his clavicles now nearly on full display, straining against his shirt. 

Reiner falls back into his seat, glancing down at the free space beside him. Porco seems to catch the silent offer, and slides in next to him, giving Mikasa and Armin a small nod and a smile as he catches their eyes. They must be his coworkers, but by the lack of words exchanged, Reiner guesses they’re not really friends.

“Wow, Bertholdt, you really do have a type,” Ymir says slyly, eager to turn the conversation back to where they left off. “Looks like any blonde shorter than you will do, right? Better watch out, Historia.” She laughs, reaching an arm around her to tickle at her side and Historia tries not to giggle, rolling her eyes. 

Bertholdt simply blushes and steals a glance at the human to his left, before burying himself in his glass. “Okay, I’ll go. Never have I ever,” he hums in consideration, “Lied on a report in the past week.”

All the Angels scoff loudly. “Booooo, so  _ boring,” _ Sasha bemoans, before happily downing her shot. Everyone takes a drink, aside from Armin who taps a finger against his glass as though he’s nervous.

“You trying to get us all wasted or something, Bertl?” Jean grumbles, regret for agreeing to play this game clearly setting in. 

Porco snorts, picking up a spare glass and taking a drink of beer. “Guess we all fuck around sometimes,” he says, a little stiff, but evidently trying to dip his toe into the conversation. A smile works its way across Reiner’s lips before he can help it. He has to admire Porco’s effort to get involved with the group. A part of him worried he wouldn’t be able to let his guard down, getting the feeling he had something against both Demons and Angels alike. Maybe it was just that him and Eren had caught the Hunter in a bad mood when they’d first crossed paths.

Reiner catches Eren with his glass in hand, now empty. Hopefully he’ll lighten up after a few more drinks, Reiner thinks to himself, reaching over to grab the pitcher, signaling towards his glass, and refilling it as a gesture of goodwill. He settles back into his seat again, raising his glass to his lips.

“Who’s next? And make it good, please,” Ymir says.

“Never have I ever...” Connie bowls forward, evidently eager to get a word in. Pausing, he purses his lips. “Mm, what  _ haven’t  _ I done yet? Oh, yeah, never have I ever fucked in an elevator.”

Jean knocks him over the back of the head for this, while Bertholdt gasps at the vulgarity of it all. Reiner chokes on his drink, and looks up to see Eren eyeing him intensely again. He really hopes the alcohol is making his cheeks pink enough already to mask his embarrassment. Breaking eye contact with the Angel, he glances around the circle hoping no one saw him almost gagging just now.

“You dumbass, no one is going to drink at that—” Jean snips, but he’s cut off by the sound of someone swallowing loudly. 

Armin’s downed glass is shaking in his hands. “Haha, um,” he stammers, “I don’t want to talk about it.”

_ “That’s  _ what your first drink is for!?” Connie guffaws, clutching at his gut. It’s true; Armin hasn’t had a single shot prior to his question. The blond hunches over, bangs falling over his eyes as if to hide himself away. Bertholdt has begun to sweat profusely at this revelation, likely blown away that someone so innocent-looking could have done something so profane.

“You’re all disgusting,” Annie clips, but there’s no venom in her voice. “Never have I ever had a wet dream about one of my partners,” she adds, eyeing Connie and Sasha pointedly. The two Angels waste no time taking another shot, to which Jean covers his face with both hands.

A few others are tilting their heads back as well, including Reiner, his eyes fluttering shut at the pleasant burn of alcohol sliding down his throat, starting to feel too buzzed to care if his coworkers prod him over it. Besides, the dreams he’s had about Eren are ones he can freely admit to himself that he’s enjoyed, now that he’s a little tipsy. He almost spits it all out, though, when he sees Eren taking a shot himself. There’s—There’s no way Eren has dreamt of Reiner. He’s been through nine partners, surely they must have been the subjects of his fantasies, and not Reiner himself.

“Oi, you’re not drinking?” Ymir points over Reiner’s shoulder straight at Porco.

This seems to catch the Hunter off guard, but he just blinks. “I’ve never had a partner,” he says. His gaze jumps from Reiner to Eren. “Well, until now, I guess,” he amends, but doesn’t touch his glass, just stares it down warily, almost like he’s itching to throw it back.

“Anyone who lies has to buy the next round,” says Ymir, watching the way Porco eyes his glass, disbelieving his current sobriety.

“I’m fine with that,” is all he says back confidently, sparing another glance at Reiner before looking away. 

Mikasa is next to continue on their game. “Never have I ever wanted to fuck a Demon,” she says plainly, almost proudly, throwing an arm round the back of Annie’s chair. The blond angel gives a little smile, tucking herself in under her shoulder.

The usual suspects all take a shot, and Reiner is shocked to see Armin hesitating, glancing up at Bertholdt from the corner of his eye, before he takes one as well. Bertholdt is too busy looking at Reiner, though. Embarrassed, both men taking another shot as they silently recall their past relationship. Jean groans when he sees them both set down their glasses, a cry of “too much information” as he slumps back in his chair, not touching his drink.

Eren and Porco are having another one of their staring contests. For a moment, Reiner worries they’ve simply fallen into a wordless spat, knowing neither of them are the least bit happy to be within three feet of each other. Except they’re both taking a shot suddenly, and Reiner finds he isn’t the only one watching their game of mental chess.

Ymir nudges at Reiner with her elbow, eyebrow cocked over her glass. “Looks like you’ve got some competition, Eren.” Though she’s leaning into Reiner, face close to his as she looks at the other Angel.

Eren shrugs, swirling the leftover liquid in his glass. “Would hardly call it competition,” he says, throwing a sly leer toward Porco, who rolls his eyes and looks away. Ymir laughs heartily. 

Reiner visibly shrinks down in his seat, wanting nothing more than to bury his face in his shirt. It’s easier to hide whatever he’s feeling if he pretends no one is looking at him. The heat of his blush is clearly deepening the rosy glow from the alcohol by this point. Surely Porco must know another Demon besides himself, but he’s not exactly going to ask. 

The game carries on. At this point, everyone seems a little tipsy, Annie, Eren, and Historia being the only exceptions. Faces are blooming with pinks and reds, ranging from just a light dusting to full blown blushes. Shoulders all around shake with quiet giggles, words beginning to slur and lose their edges.

“Sasha, you haven’t gone yet,” Historia points out steadily. Although she’s partaken in quite a few rounds herself, she seems virtually unaffected by any of the alcohol, sitting up straight and brushing back a stray strand of hair as Ymir noses her way into her side.

“Okay, okay,” the brown-haired Angel chuckles with a hiccup. Reiner suspects she’s been drinking more than just the shots laid out on the table. “N-never have I ever… uhhh… pissed my pants on a mission.”

“Grossss,” Connie whines. Despite being the one to say it, he’s the only person drinking.

The table erupts with laughter, glasses vibrating gently as the table jostles. Even Annie and Mikasa, who have both been quite composed the whole while, are chuckling softly.

“How much do I have to drink to know about this story,” Reiner laughs, bringing a hand up to cover his mouth.

“You don’t need to know, trust me,” Jean says, clearly despairing over it all.

“Yeah, y-you do not...” Sasha pauses to take a swig of beer. “You...d’not wanna know what Cap’n Levi had to say about that.”

More laughter, from everyone, Reiner sinks back into his chair, grasping at his stomach, and that’s when Porco leans into him wiping tears from his own eyes as he tries to restrain his own giggling. Reiner puts a hand on Porco’s leg, pressing down to try and straighten up, to pull himself together. The Hunter’s hand shoots out to grip over his own, letting out a pained groan at just how much pressure Reiner was putting on his thigh.  _ Oops,  _ Reiner thinks, forgetting his own strength. He anticipates a glare or a shove from the man, figuring he’s not the type who’s welcoming of any kind of touch, but he hardly responds, just sitting there.

Porco’s chest is rising up and down, the remnants of a full body laugh still working its way through his body. Reiner can’t help but turn his eyes down to the lines of his collarbones again, mind fuzzy and warm. His eyes drag upward from his chest to his jaw, tracing its edge up to Porco’s lips, ruddy from the alcohol. He finds himself peering into Porco’s eyes, now, thinking  _ I’ll just take a quick peek _ . Back in the forest, their first meeting, he hardly had a chance to really take the man in. It’s not a crime to try and get a good look at him here and now...

With a loud sigh, Porco is turning his head, suddenly staring right back at Reiner. He looks on lazily, lips parted as he breathes in deep.  _ So glad he was able to open up,  _ Reiner thinks to himself. Whether he’s being literal or figurative is lost on him. 

They stay like that, just blinking slowly, Reiner’s hand in the Hunter’s grasp, still perched on his thigh. The noise of their comrades grows muffled, and Reiner feels like all he can hear is his heart humping in his ribcage, when— 

“Hey man, where’s Eren off to,” Connie moans, “He’s a’ways ruining the fun these days, he n’ver used to be like this…”

“M’by he’s jus’ upset cos’ he pissed his pants one time, too,” Sasha suggests with a giggle, shrugging and leaning against the other Angel.

“M’gonna go after him n’ tell him that, ‘hey, this can happ’n to anyone… even me,’” he says, jabbing his own thumb into his chest proudly, before hoisting himself up to clamber overtop of everyone, running deeper into the bar to catch up with Eren. 

And just like that, the moment shatters. Reiner lifts his head, tearing his gaze away from Porco to see the back of Eren’s head disappearing off into the corner of the bar, halo and all. Porco is taking his hand off Reiner’s, ducking down and hunching over his drink. “Sorry,” he mumbles, so low Reiner almost misses it.

The warm fog in his mind quickly evaporates only to be replaced by a frigid dowsing of concern. Torn, he glances from one partner to the other.

God, what is Reiner doing? He’s out of his damn depth here. Those stares from Eren, the one he just shared with Porco—something must be wrong with him. The alcohol still has him in a daze, but he resolves to fix whatever is wrong with Porco fast.

“Huh?” Reiner says, shaking his mind free of Eren for a moment.

“I said sorry,” The Hunter mumbles, as though it’s difficult for him to repeat. “Guess I got caught up in the moment there…” He’s toying with the base of his glass, pushing it back and forth between his fingertips, unable to meet Reiner’s eyes.

Luckily, no one is paying their little conversation any mind. “It’s okay,” Reiner blurts out. Is it really, though?

“Just let my guard down a little too much,” Porco laughs to himself.

“No, you didn’t,” Reiner considers, genuine, “I actually prefer seeing this side of you than the aggressive Bounty Hunter we met in the woods.”

This earns a quizzical look from Porco as he finally turns to look back at him. “I’ve only seen you twice.” It’s plain to see he’s saying  _ ‘you don’t know me.’ _

“That’s true, but we’ll be seeing a lot more of each other.” Reiner was critical of this new partnership at first, but after this afternoon and the fun they’ve had together tonight, he can admit that seeing Porco again really wouldn’t be a bad thing after all. “Hopefully.”

Porco tuts disbelievingly. “Yeah… hopefully.” And he turns his head away, looking off towards the main bar, in Eren’s general direction, and Reiner gets the message.

“Please don’t worry about Eren, I’ll talk to him.”

Porco’s attention comes back to Reiner. His eyes dart away to the rest of the table as they break into more laughter; they must be poking more fun at Connie, who’s just come back with another round of drinks.

“It’s not just Eren. I think I just…” Porco pauses to consider, sighing. “Have mixed feelings about Angels specifically.”

Now he’s hit something personal. Reiner shifts back and forth in his seat, aware he has to be careful. But knowing alcohol brings that liquid courage, this might be one of the only chances he has to see Porco’s vulnerable side. 

He rests his arm on the back of the bench seat, turning to give Porco his full attention and let him know he’s listening. The Hunter sighs again.

“Ugh, what’s wrong with me… to be honest, when I first met you, I didn’t like you at all,” he breathes. “Damn Angels are always destroying shit left and right… and aren’t you Demons supposed to be stopping that from happening?” 

It stings to hear it all come out. Porco’s voice is tired and worn, as though he’s begun digging up painful memories, ones he won’t share with Reiner. 

“Yeah, I didn’t know you, but to me it didn’t matter. The DA Alliance is a fucked up system that screws shit up all the time. What's the point in your whole ‘seek and destroy’ campaign if less humans are going to be harmed by a goddamn monster, than the  _ Angels _ you send in to rescue us.” Porco spits out the word ‘Angels’ like it’s a curse. 

More cheering from beside them. It doesn’t make things feel any less grim. The aftertaste of alcohol is bitter on Reiner's tongue.

“You know, Hange told me once that Angels used to stand for ‘virtue’ and ‘grace,’ but now I think you’ll struggle to find someone outside of the city that thinks the word means anything but pain and inevitable destruction.”

“That’s not true,” Reiner whispers. Before, he wouldn’t have had an ounce of patience to come running to the defense of Angels, knowing the majority of them didn’t even care for their line of work. And yes, it’s true: here, all the Angels are singing and laughing their hearts out, but in the field they could rend scores and scores of ruination on their victims. 

But after being with Eren, hearing those words from Porco leaves him with an ache in his heart. “I hope that we have shown you that tonight… Me and everybody else.”

Porco doesn’t say anything, biting the inside of his cheek like he’s trying to stop the hurt from pouring out of his mouth. Reiner’s sure he could say more, wants to say more, but he doesn’t, and he considers that to be for his benefit.

“I’m sorry for whatever happened to you personally that left you feeling this way,” Reiner says, seriously. “Whether I, the DA, or anyone at this table had anything to do with it. I’m really sorry, and I hope I can make it up to you. Me and Eren both.” He coughs lightly. “Promise he’s a good guy...”

Porco actually looks at him then, and the Demon hopes that he can see the sincerity in his eyes. 

“You can start by keeping your dog on a leash,” he grunts, and when he breaks into a weak smile Reiner is mirroring him back. “If he bites someone, I don’t want to see you cry when we have to put him down.”

“You sure you won’t bite first...?” Reiner raises a brow, and he’s being serious. It’s not as if Porco isn’t as fiery as Eren—the two are more similar than they would ever probably admit.

“Only if you want me to.” Porco flashes him a grin, wider than before.

There’s a roar of laughter again, followed by someone retching.

“Oh, god, Sasha, not again,” Jean is moaning. Reiner can hear people gagging and crying out in disgust.

“S’not weird, m’ just naturally this flexible!” Sasha slurs, “Stop pretendin’ to throw up or I’ll come over there n’ do this to you too!!” 

Reiner isn’t sure he wants to know what’s going on, and he exchanges a grimace with Porco. “Well,” the shorter man clears his throat. He spies Eren making his way back over from the bar, and gets up abruptly. “I’m gonna get something that tastes better than whatever this shit is, you want anything?”

Reiner smiles, glad he’s made it up with Porco, but gestures to the half empty glass of beer he’s still nursing. “You can buy me a drink when I’ve finished this one, okay?”

A beat of hesitation. “You think if I get one for Eren, he’ll let me spend some more time with you, or am I gonna have to fight him?”

Reiner laughs at his joke, but Porco is probably at least half serious. “There’s enough of me to go around, I’m sure.”

“Guess I’d be okay with that, but I’m not very good at sharing.” He offers Reiner a wink, and he's left almost sputtering, before the Hunter heads off to the bar, passing Eren as he goes.

Reiner lets out a sigh. If only Eren and Porco could make amends as quick and easy as this.

Eren stands over him, hands at his sides. He almost looks a little menacing, and if Reiner hadn’t already gotten used to his strange demeanor, he’d be more than a little freaked out. His eye is set on Reiner, expression unreadable. Reiner’s heart starts pounding again. He wants to reach out and take his hand, but he remembers the way the Angel has been avoiding him all afternoon, and his fingers stay put around his glass. Something cold seizes his gut.

Then, without a word Eren plops down beside him, filling the empty seat Porco left behind. Slouched forward, he doesn’t meet Reiner’s gaze, just sits there.

“Are you okay?” Reiner asks cautiously, but Eren doesn’t respond. Then he’s leaning back, shifting his weight on Reiner’s side, before dropping his head down to rest on the Demon’s shoulder. Reiner jolts slightly in surprise, but he welcomes Eren into his space. Something in him tells him he’s missed this.

Their friends are now singing along to the song playing on the overhead speakers, swaying side to side. Everyone is horribly out of tune, or lagging behind.

Despite being pissed off at him all day, Reiner hasn’t seen Eren this low, ever. A little lost at what to do, he maneuvers his arm to wrap around Eren’s shoulders. Seldom does he return Eren’s touch, never sure what the right response is, but he feels the need to pull him in a little closer.

“I’m tired,” Eren states.

It’s all that comes out the Angel’s mouth. He’s staring far off into some random corner of the room, seemingly distant and so close all at once.

Reiner thinks he gets the message. “You wanna go somewhere?” he jostles him, and he feels Eren nod against his side.

Eren lets Reiner pull him to his feet then. The Demon excuses the both of them, but everyone seems too busy to even notice. Reiner slides his hand down Eren’s arm until their fingers are linked, pulling him towards the bathrooms.

His own hands are warm and balmy, surely not helped by all the alcohol he’s had tonight. Eren is cold as ever; it’s like holding onto a block of ice (Reiner is sure he’d seen Eren drinking his own fill tonight; had it not affected him in the slightest?) And yet, there’s still something oddly comforting about it all.

  
  
  


Reiner knew this bar was fancy, he never doubted Historia’s taste, and the men's bathrooms were a testament to that. He wastes no time checking the stalls are all empty before he turns to Eren, leaning on the edge of the counter. Reiner’s legs are spread and Eren finds himself stepping forward into that space, hands coming up to rest on his forearms. He’s close, and it has Reiner almost short of breath.

“You want to tell me what’s been up with you today?” Reiner asks slowly.

“Not really,” Eren mutters.

“C’mon Eren, I need to know what I did wrong so I don’t do it again.”

“It’s a little late for that…”

“Is this about Porco?” Reiner says, and he’s not really sure what he means by that specifically, but he’s certain the Hunter’s arrival has something to do with it.

Eren tilts his chin up to look at him. “Are you going to tell my brother that you don’t want to work with me anymore?”

“What? Why would I ever say that?” Reiner remembers making a similar bargain earlier that day during their meeting at the Guild, but that comment was meant for Porco, not Eren. 

The Angel simply shrugs. “Back then... you said we never had to see each other after it was all said ‘n done.”

It’s so out of left field, Reiner can’t help but laugh. Eren blinks at him, and Reiner excuses himself. “Sorry, I just wasn’t expecting that,” he says. Then he adds, “I wasn’t talking about us. It was about Porco, okay?”

Eren’s shoulders fall a little, as if the words have set him at ease a bit.

“I do want to keep working with you. I  _ like _ working with you, I like...” Reiner swallows. “I like this.” The confession comes out all mumbled and soft. Surely the alcohol is to blame for all of this, he tells himself, but his head is clearer than ever.

A slight hum reverberates from Eren’s chest. He’s eyeing the tiled floor, and Reiner almost thinks he sees his lower lip pushed out in a small pout. Cute.

“Are you sure this has nothing to do with Porco?” he prods.

“And what if it does.”

Reiner finds himself laughing again. Before, he was exasperated with Eren’s petulance, was telling himself he’d be scolding Eren and setting him straight. But now, seeing the softness in Eren’s face, the way he’s awkward and doesn’t know what to do with himself and yet is still trying to make things right as best he can... Reiner is endeared.

“Porco is a good Hunter, he’s talented and now that I’ve had time to think about it, I know we need him. So I don’t regret filing that report and I hope he doesn’t either.” Reiner sighs. “He obviously spoke highly enough of you too if we both ended up in this partnership with him…”

Eren seems to soften at that. “I suppose I’m sorry for running off and involving myself with him in the first place.” He utters, and this admission of guilt is so unlike the Angel it makes Reiner a little apprehensive.

“Are you jealous of him?”

“No… I just want you all to myself.” Eren admits in a low whisper, sliding his hands up Reiner’s arms, taking another step towards him, slotting himself between the Demon’s legs. He rakes his hands up his arms hungrily.

“Funny,” Reiner says, voice coming out in a whisper. His whole body feels hot, accentuating the icy touch of Eren’s hands. “Porco said the same thing…”

At those words, Eren seems to growl and Reiner lets out a shaky breath. They both lean in at the same time, Reiner’s heart is racing, and Eren is pressing his lips against his. Capturing his bottom lip between his own, pushing forwards, and Reiner has to remember to react before he falls backwards. He opens his mouth, catching Eren’s lips in return, the Angel’s hands trail up his arms, one pulling him forward by his tie, and the other behind his neck holding him in place. 

Eren opens up his mouth, licking against Reiner’s lips, begging to be let in, and he lets him. Eren’s teeth graze his lip and he bites down, pulling Reiner so he’s chasing after him, licking at the marks on own lips. His hands come up, pulling desperately at Eren’s shirt to bring him closer, remembering the taste of Eren’s fingers in his mouth and he lets out a small whine. His mouth falls open again, tongue pressing against Eren's, panting against his lips, the Angel licks along his teeth, tasting everything Reiner has to offer him.

The need for air has them parting eventually. They’re gasping into one another’s mouths. Hints of ash and branded tequila linger on Reiner’s tongue, and through the haze he wonders what he tastes like to Eren.  _ “You’d better watch yourself”  _ Eren had said when Reiner first brought up the idea of the Angel eating him whole. Now, here he is, letting his eyes slide shut, ready to be devoured.

Eren’s teeth are back. They just brush over his lower lip, teasing. A threat, or a promise? Reiner doesn’t care. He moans. He needs this. Professionalism be damned, Eren had been teasing him for weeks, hadn’t he? He almost had him this morning, and god that feels like forever ago— now, it's like he’s been starving for so long without even realizing.

The outline of Eren’s smirk tickles the corner of Reiner’s mouth. 

“Eren.” Reiner's voice manages to claw its way up and out of his throat.

“What?” Eren breathes against his lips.

“People are going to start assuming things if we don’t get back soon,” he blurts out.

“Let them.” Is all Eren says in response. He’s tucking his hands under Reiner’s legs now, lifting him up to push him back onto the counter, and pressing their chests together. 

Reiner’s protests die on his lips. His arms come up to wrap around Eren’s neck, holding him close, kissing him messily like he can’t get enough of him. His mouth is open, licking into Eren’s with every opportunity, and he’s sure he has drool running down his chin but he can’t bring himself to care, groaning into the kiss.

Eren is suddenly moving lower, mouth pressed to his jaw, then the sensitive flesh beneath his chin grizzled with hair. There’s that familiar brush of his nose stud against his skin, so cold it burns like a brand. Eren presses open mouthed kisses to the column of his throat, fumbling with the first, second, third buttons of his shirt, yanking at the top of his tie to loosen it, desperate to expose more of his skin.

“Y-you can’t, everyone will see,” Reiner says quickly. The thought of wearing a necklace of bruises, all left by Eren for his friends to spot the next day, has him shivering. It terrifies him, and at the same time has his groin feeling hot and heavy. He’s so fucked.

“I want them to know that you’re _my_ bitch now, Reiner,” He growls against Reiner’s neck, and all the Demon can do is whimper in response as Eren sucks hard just below the collar of his shirt. Reiner can feel the laps of his tongue as he sucks and kisses and _bites_ at the spot, wanting to leave a mark as dark as possible, positive Reiner won’t heal this one, that he’ll leave it there as long as he can.

Eren’s hand grazes the front of Reiner’s pants, cupping his dick with his fingers and god, he’s so hard. Reiner whines again pathetically, pushing his hips forward against Eren’s hand, rocking back and forth at the pleasure. Reiner looks down at Eren with wide eyes, pupils blown. His gaze flickers over his shoulder to one of the open stalls. They can’t do it out here, in the open, exposed…

There’s shuffling outside the bathroom door and Reiner can hear the voices of other customers. His stomach does a nosedive into his gut at the thought of being caught like this—the mortification would have him burning up on the spot. He hops off the counter, to Eren’s surprise, but with a hand on his chest he hurriedly pushes the Angel into the open stall behind them, sliding the lock shut right as the bathroom door swings open. He couldn’t be more thankful for floor to ceiling cubicles right now, hiding their feet from view.

No longer alone, Reiner holds his breath. They’ll have to wait it out now—

Eren’s hand is back between his legs, and it takes everything in Reiner not to yelp in surprise. A hand slaps over his mouth and he shoots Eren a look of disbelief— _ he can’t be serious _ . 

All he gets back is one of Eren’s sleazy little smiles as he raises a single finger to his lips. “Shh,” he whispers.

_ Bastard,  _ Reiner curses quietly. There’s no way they’ll really do this, with someone just barely a few feet away. 

Still… he can’t help but want to continue.

Screwing his eyes shut, he gives Eren a tiny nod.

The sound of a belt buckle being undone in a bathroom setting isn’t unusual but Reiner can’t help but cringe, the clank of metal and the slide of the leather strap makes his cheeks go an even brighter red. Eren fumbles around, undoing his zipper and reaching his hand inside Reiner’s briefs, and he tries so hard to suppress the moan that comes out of his mouth as Eren’s fingers grasp the base of his cock.

Eren shoots him a look, hand stilling, leaning up to murmur in his ear, “If you can’t keep quiet, I’ll have to stop,” he threatens. “Or is it that you just need something in your mouth?” 

The implication sets Reiner’s nerves on fire. He answers with a shake of his head, hand falling to his side. Eren’s fingers are creeping up, two digits tapping against Reiner’s mouth. Swallowing, he opens up and lets him inside.

Eren watches him, just like he did back in their hotel room, just like Reiner’s dream from their first mission together. He fucks his fingers in and out of Reiner’s mouth, the Demon fixated on the sensation, the push and pull of his lips against the other's cool skin. It sounds lewd and he knows it, unable to stop the quiet slurping sounds as he sucks and laps at Eren’s digits.

It’s humiliating,  _ so _ humiliating. Tears well up in his eyes, from both the shame of knowing he can’t keep quiet and the fullness in his mouth. Eren’s hand is still on his cock, stroking him in time with each thrust of his fingers. Reiner is going to lose his mind.

All at once, Eren pulls his fingers from Reiner’s mouth with an audible pop, bringing them to his own lips for a taste. Reiner watches, his gaze hooded, as Eren sucks his own fingers into his mouth, and lets his one eye close shut for a moment. Then he opens his mouth, removing his fingers and running his tongue across his palm, and Reiner feels his dick twitch.

The Angel suddenly drops down to his knees, nudging his way in between Reiner’s thighs. Fuck—if he does  _ that, _ there’s absolutely no way Reiner will be able to hold himself back.

As his cock is pulled from his briefs, Reiner tosses an arm over his eyes. Then he’s enveloped by wetness, Eren’s spit-slicked hand wrapping around his dick. He strokes once, twice, before licking a slow stripe along the underside. All sorts of noises bubble up in his throat and Reiner clenches his jaw tight.  _ Can’t make a sound, can’t make a sound—  _

Reiner’s free hand grips at Eren’s hair, biting down on the other in a desperate attempt to stay quiet. Eren hums lowly at the hand in his hair, as he presses his lips around the head of Reiner’s cock, tonguing at his tip. 

“H-hng—” Reiner’s voice escapes from its prison of teeth.  _ Too sensitive, _ he thinks to himself. Dammit, Eren just had to find his sweet spots right at the start.

Reiner hears the swing of the bathroom door from outside the stall once again, then the sound of footsteps on tiles seem to stop. They must be alone now, and Eren seems to notice this too. He doesn’t spare a moment more before he’s taking Reiner’s length in his mouth, and Reiner lets himself go, moaning aloud. Fuck it, it’s just them now.

Eren presses his tongue flat against him as he bobs up and down. Though he can’t see his face, Reiner catches the way his lashes flutter ever so slightly. Every now and then he stops to kiss at his tip again, lapping at the precum. Every touch has Reiner gasping softly, hips canting weakly towards his mouth.

The Angel is teasing him and Reiner knows it; frustrated, he squeezes at Eren’s scalp a little harder. He’d like to say  _ stop fucking around _ but he’s so far gone the words won’t come out of his mouth, instead he just moans “ _ Eren, p-please—”  _

Eren chuckles around him, and the vibrations have Reiner whimpering. He doesn’t fight him, though, and proceeds to take him back in his mouth. He sinks down as far as he can go, hollowing out his cheeks as he sucks. Reiner’s groan echoes off the tiled walls as he feels the head of his cock hit the back of Eren’s throat over and over as he moves. He won’t last much longer like this.

One final pump is all it takes, and Reiner is coming with a cry. He arches his back, legs trembling as his orgasm washes over him. Eren keeps him in his mouth, swallowing around him, the stimulation milking Reiner for everything he’s worth. When he pulls off, he laps at the underside of the head, almost like he’s famished. 

Eren looks up at Reiner, grinning ear to ear as his halo tilts back. He puckers his lips ever so slightly, pressing one last kiss to his cock, before standing.

Reiner wheezes. “Y-you...” his eyes fall to Eren’s groin, where he’s clearly hard himself. He licks his lips, imagining what it will feel like to return the favor.

Surprisingly, the Angel just shrugs. “Didn’t you say people will start assuming things?” Reiner flinches, realizing that it’s true, they must have been gone long enough to turn a few heads. Still, he doesn’t want to just leave Eren like this...

The Angel presses his lips to Reiner’s again, opening his mouth slowly and letting Reiner’s inside, tasting himself on Eren’s tongue. He can’t help how he clutches at Eren’s hips, pulling the man against him. Eren just hums against his lips, content. 

“Don’t worry about me,” Eren whispers. Then, “Does this mean I can get your number now?”

“Huh?” Reiner frowns.

“Your number. You gave it to Galliard, what about me?” 

Reiner rolls his eyes, tucking himself back into his briefs before fishing a pen from his pocket. This is definitely not the correct order of doing things, but he’ll entertain Eren. He pulls his arm up by the wrist, jotting down his number up his forearm, past caring who might see it.

“Let’s go, can’t keep company waiting,” Eren cocks his head to the side, a motion to the door. 

Reiner moves to unbolt the lock, letting it swing open, casting a look back over his shoulder, not wanting to lose this moment with Eren. When he turns around, to catch his reflection in the mirror, face red, hair mussed, it’s not the only face he sees staring back at him.

Oh. Oh, no.

Porco is leaned over one of the sinks, hands clutching the edge of the counter. He's facing away, but his gaze is dead set right on them through the mirror. The gentle trickle of faucet water echoes throughout the bathroom. Here they are again, alone, just the three of them.

Eren waltzes past Reiner, completely unphased by the Hunters presence. There's a smirk on his lips as he comes up behind him, and Reiner thinks he sees Eren press Porco’s hips further against the counter. He leans down so his lips are barely ghosting his ear and Porco’s knuckles go white with how hard they’re gripping the sink. “Go easy on him, Galliard.” Eren whispers, and all the Hunter can do is close his eyes and exhale.

Reiner is rooted to the spot. What is he supposed to do in a situation like this? And how long has Porco been standing there—Reiner was so sure he’d heard whoever came in earlier leave. With how loud he was, there’s almost no way Porco doesn’t know what just happened...

He doesn’t know what compels him to do so, but he’s making his way over to the sink to wash his hands. He’s numb, and for all he knows the water could either be scalding hot or freezing cold. He’s on auto-pilot at this point, mind unable to form a single coherent thought. The three of them just stand there like that, not saying a word or sharing a single glance.

An apology is forming on Reiner’s tongue, ready to tell Porco he understands if he wants to quit now, but it’s Porco that breaks the tense silence between them, Eren still has him pinned to the counter. “I’ll take you up on your challenge, then,” He says, gaze trained down at the water swirling around into the drain. Eren shifts his weight behind Porco and the Demon is pretty sure he must feel Eren’s hard length pressing against his back.

“What?” Reiner stops, daring to look over his shoulder at him. “What challenge?”

Porco grunts. Astonishingly, he doesn’t move to butt Eren off of him, just glances at Reiner out of the corner of his eyes. Reiner doesn’t know what he’s expecting him to say, but it’s certainly not this: 

“Let’s see this damn partnership thing through.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> phew big update! sorry for teasing you in the beginning but we just couldnt help ourselves. comments are always appreciated~ find us on twitter:  
> sugarcinnamon: [@reinerheart](https://twitter.com/reinerheart)!  
> kaymono: [@windastur](https://twitter.com/windastur) with chapter art [here](https://twitter.com/windastur/status/1370065860157661184?s=20) and you can check out what all the characters look like [here](https://twitter.com/windastur/status/1370101677492166657?s=20)


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